From: Steven Bendis[SMTP:sbendis@home.com]

Sent: September 18, 2001 1:02 AM

To: procedure@crtc.gc.ca; bell.regulatory@bell.ca

Subject: Local Telephone Service Prices Opinion

English

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2001/8678/C12-11.htm#4j

French

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/frn/2001/8678/C12-11.htm#4j

While I understand that the costs of maintaining public phone booths does

not drop, raising the price for a local phone call from one does lower the

public's safety.

In my opinion, the average person has twenty-five cents on their person, in

one form or another. Not always does someone have on them fifty cents or

seventy-five, but it's easy to assume that the average person is carrying

thirty cents in change. Should a crisis situation (flat tire, car

accidents, etc) arise while a person is out in public, the ability to use a

public phone diminishes when someone has to try and fish for more change

than a quarter. Even if someone happened to have less than a quarter, a

stranger passing by would typically have the balance to give out for a phone

call if asked to do so (especially when you inform the stranger that "it's

for a phone call".

By raising a phone booth's local call fee, certain freedoms become further

out of reach for the average citizen. If I had the chance to affect the

decision, I think the twenty-five cent charge for a local call from a phone

booth should stay twenty-five cents.

Thanks!