At the end of Dave Lazarus' current column in the Los Angeles Times:
AT&T raising rates
Speaking of services that were once free, AT&T is informing customers that the charge for directory assistance will rise Jan. 3 to $1.79 per call from $1.50 ? a nearly 20% increase.
The telecom giant also says its monthly rate for basic residential phone service will rise for most customers to $19.95 from $16.45.
That 21% increase follows a 22% jump in the cost of basic phone service at the beginning of 2010 and a 23% rise the year before.
This is way ahead of the inflation rate, which has remained below 3% for the last couple of years.
"Our rates were held down by regulators for a long time," said Lane Kasselman, an AT&T spokesman. "So now we're playing catch-up. We're staying competitive with the rest of the market."
A spokesman for Verizon said the company has no plans to boost either its $1.25 charge for directory assistance or its $20.91 monthly charge for basic residential phone service.