Hearing Scheduled For Phone Rate Changes

A proposal to change monthly telephone rates in North Idaho will get a public hearing next month in Moscow, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission announced Tuesday.

The commission reversed an earlier decision not to hold hearings on the proposed changes. The hearing will be held Feb. 7 at the University Inn in Moscow at 6:30 p.m.

The proposal offers customers a broader geographic area in which they can place local calls. In return, they may pay a higher monthly rate. Or they could pay a lower monthly rate and pay a per-minute charge for calling outside of the town where they reside.

The proposal affects all of North Idaho. It is most controversial in Moscow, which has enjoyed toll-free calling to Pullman for the past nine years.