Re: Telephone Area Codes and Prefixes

I have testified before the Public Utility Commission of
> Texas -- one of the last states to have this jurisdiction > placed > What do you mean by "one organization"? > If you're referring to an organization that regulates all > (or almost all) utilities, Texas isn't the > Joe is correct on his assertion that Texas was one of the last, > if not the last, state to have a single regulatory body for > telephone service (and some other public utilities). > Until the 1960s, telephone regulation in Texas fell under city > jurisdictioin, and there had to be a separate rate case, and > separate negotiations, with each city.

Then I misread the original statement. To me, it implied that Texas was one of the last states to retain state control, while other states had relinquished state control. Perhaps the original statement should have read:

I have testified before the Public Utility Commission of > Texas -- one of the last states to establish state > regulation of landline telephone service by placing > it under the state utility-regulatory organization.

Given my background in cable television, I well understand the problems of dealing with "a separate rate case, and separate negotiations, with each city." I've sat through endless negotiations over some of the weirdest issues.

The City of Monona, Wisconsin once *prohibited* the sale of converters, while the City of Madison *required* it. When the two cable companies merged, both franchise agreements continued in force. Until Monona changed its ordinance, the company could sell a converter to a Madison resident, but not to a Monona resident. It could sell a converter to *anybody* except a Monona resident -- even (to use the favorite hypothetical) Snoopy's brother Spike.

The City of West Bend, Wisconsin once tried to prohibit per-channel pricing for HBO; they wanted it included "free" with basic service. (Yet today, we have John McCain arguing that all cable channels should be priced "a-la-carte").

All in the name of "consumer protection" of course...

Neal McLain