Pay Phone Rates Rise In Idaho Us West Still Evaluating Increase In Washington

US West has not yet decided to increase the price of local pay phone calls in Washington to 35 cents from 25 cents, spokeswoman Dana Smith said Wednesday.

The company announced the 40 percent increase this week for Idaho, citing rising costs associated with placing pay phones at private businesses.

US West owns 2,000 pay phones in southern Idaho and 70 percent of the 60,000 pay phones in the Northwest.

Pay phones were deregulated under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. But rates could not increase until last October when a federal court ruled against Consumers Union, which had challenged the deregulation of pay phones.

US West technicians will increase the rates at each Idaho phone as they do routine maintenance or coin collections. The changeover will begin in about 30 days and take about 90 days to complete.

“The pay phone industry is an expensive industry to be in,” US West spokesman Clint Berry said.

GTE, which owns 1,950 pay phones in North Idaho and Eastern Washington, finished adjusting the rates on its phones to 35 cents last week, said spokesman Bob Wayt.

Independent pay phone companies are offering businesses incentives, or higher percentages of the profits, to get their phones installed, Berry said.

But some groups say those who use pay phones are being used.

“We’re concerned the consumer is getting nickel and dimed to death,” said Janee Briesemeister, a senior policy analyst with Consumers Union in Austin, Texas.

“It’s a domino effect,” she said. “The pay phone operators are looking over their shoulders, waiting for someone to raise their rates so they can too,” Briesemeister said.

Of the 14 states served by US West, only Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming residents will pay 35 cents per call. Wyoming callers have paid the higher rate since the 1980s.

“We’re still looking at it and doing research in all of our markets,” said Smith.

, DataTimes