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P/CLOUDY Temp: 79 °F Wind: N at 4 mph Thursday, October 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 17, 2003 Supporters get word out on toll-free calling zone By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune The new rates for a proposed regional calling zone linking Jackson and Josephine counties, as well as Glendale in Douglas County, will be unveiled next month. But supporters aren’t waiting to get the word out. Members of a citizens advisory task force are now working to educate phone customers about the advantages of joining the calling region. It would allow them to make calls between Jackson and Josephine counties and Glendale without incurring long-distance charges, said task force chairwoman Shayne Maxwell. The new calling zone is expected to significantly lower the bills of customers who regularly make calls outside of their current toll-free zones, task force members say. Estimated monthly fees for the new zone will be released in October. Advertisement "We’ve been working on this with the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) and the phone companies for over a year," said Maxwell. "People are no longer going to have to pay per-minute charges to call their lawyer, banker or even their neighbors." Additionally, she says, the new zone would save tax dollars by creating toll-free calling for Southern Oregon educational and governmental services. "Local-calling access to Southern Oregon businesses helps strengthen our economy and eliminates the need to dial 1-541 and then a seven-digit number," said Maxwell. Brochures, Web sites and television and radio spots are being readied to inform people in all 18 exchanges about the proposed zone. The region is served by four phone companies who donated $1,400 for the media campaign. John Irwin is creating the Web site for the calling zone — www.notoll.org — and says the site will offer a more in-depth and detailed explanation of the proposed changes. "It will look a lot like the brochure, but it will have more content.". Once the new extended area of service (EAS) rate is released by the PUC next month, a series of public meetings will be held. The new rate is supposed to reflect a "revenue neutral" process. The PUC has reviewed the proposed rates of Qwest, Verizon, Citizens and Sprint United to determine they will neither gain nor lose money on the new calling zone. When a smaller, toll-free calling zone between Rogue River, Gold Hill, Central Point and Medford went into effect in May, residents’ monthly bills increased by 75 cents. Maxwell says if an entire exchange decides to opt out of the region, it will force a rate recalculation. Task force members say they would like to see all the exchanges sign on to the new calling zone, but insist their current extended area of service routes need to be protected regardless. PUC Judge Michael Grant is reviewing the phone companies’ request to re-examine existing EAS routes in exchanges who might decide to opt out, she says. "This would mean that if, for some strange reason, Rogue River decided to opt out, they’d also lose their EAS to Medford," said Maxwell. "That’s not right." The PUC, task force and phone companies expect to establish the final fees and boundaries by January 2004 with implementation beginning the following October. Marlene Gorsuch, PUC project analyst, is available to answer questions about the plan at 503-373-7905. Meanwhile, the task force continues to try and get the word out locally. "Our intent is to present the information in people-speak instead of bureaucracy-speak," said task force member Ellen Levine. Reach reporter Sanne Spechtat 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times