The Utah Public Service Commission has agreed to reconsider its May 13 order setting rates for "extended area service" to provide local calling within all of Uintah and Duchesne counties and the Strawberry Valley portion of Wasatch County.
The Committee of Consumer Services asked for reconsideration in the case, which involves the Uintah Basin Telecommunications Association Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, UBET Telecom Inc. UBTA and UBET combined serve all the public telecom service land-line exchanges in Uintah and Duchesne counties.
The companies originally proposed an EAS that would allow customers to make an unlimited number of calls, without any duration limitation, with all residential customers paying a monthly EAS charge of $4.95 and business customers paying a $6.95 charge. The commission's May order called for UBET's Vernal exchange customers to pay a monthly EAS charge of 80 cents, Roosevelt exchange customers to pay $2.25, Duchesne exchange customers to pay $3.25 and UBTA customers to pay $5.75.
The committee has five concerns with the May 13 order, including that the rates would result in a windfall profit for the companies.
The commission ruled Friday that it will keep the rates from its May 13 order in place until a network usage study is conducted.