All Colorado consumers may soon have to pay an extra $6 a year for their home lines, if a proposed deregulation of Qwest’s phone services is approved.
The $6 price bump – $12 for small businesses – is one of many changes in pricing and service quality that Coloradans may experience if Qwest’s request is approved.
The state’s Public Utility Commission began considering the deregulation Monday.Those hearings will continue through the week, with a public hearing at 5 p.m. Thursday in the PUC’s Hearing Room A.
The commission is required to make a decision by June 28.
Qwest says deregulation will allow it to compete against a growing number of cable and Internet phone providers, to roll out new services and packages, and even to reduce prices.
“This freedom gives Qwest the ability to react to market conditions freely,” said Paul McDaniel, Qwest’s head of regulatory affairs for Colorado, during Monday’s PUC hearing.
Colorado has some of the strictest phone regulations in Qwest’s 14-state territory. A deregulation victory here would help Qwest roll back regulations in other states.
Qwest wants to deregulate most of its phone services – including additional phone lines, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding and other services – although the PUC would reserve the right to re-regulate if problems arise. The first line in a home, or the first three lines in a business, would remain regulated.
Qwest filed for deregulation in Colorado in October then spent seven months working out a settlement with the PUC and the Office of Consumer Counsel, a utility watchdog. A half-dozen other groups have also been involved, but so far only AARP has opposed the settlement.
Staff writer Ross Wehner can be reached at 303-820-1503 or rwehner@denverpost.com.
