1983-243-Opposing Rate Increases Proposed By General Telephone Company Of CaliforniaRESOLUTION NO. 1983 -243
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS OPPOSING
RATE INCREASES PROPOSED BY GENERAL TELEPHONE
COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA.
WHEREAS, General Telephone of California currently has applied to the Public
Utilities Commission for a $207.5 million rate increase, pursuant
to application number 83- 07 -02; and
WHEREAS, such rate request, if granted, would increase basic monthly residen-
tial charges from $9.15 to $12.40 and monthly buainess charges would
increase from $20.30 to $31.40, as well as increase charges on pay
phones and increase ZUM charges on some calls from Los Gatos to
Downtown San Jose; and
WHEREAS, General Telephone of California was very recently granted an eleven
(11 %) percent rate increase despite vehement opposition in Los Gatos
due to General Telephone's poor and unreliable quality of service;
and
WHEREAS, General Telephone of California received its recent rate increase
and has applied for another rate increase despite continuing to
provide inadequate service in Los Gatos; and
WHEREAS, the Public Utilities Commission recommends a $147.6 million rate
increase for General Telephone Company including the Los Gatos
franchise and, further, is not recommending that such rate increase
be deferred for six months in Los Gatos due to poor service (as is
recommended for eight other GTC franchises);
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS:
Notwithstanding improvements made within the last six months, Los
Gatos Town Council finds the quality of such telephone service to
be unacceptable, and therefore adamantly opposes any and all rate
increases for General Telephone of California until the quality of
telephone service in Los Gatos first improves.
2. Most of the service problems (i.e., loss of dial tone, constant
static, failure of calls to go through after dialing, dead lines,
false busy signals, false rings, and cross talk) can be attributed
to the obsolete and inefficient central switching equipment currently
in place in Los Gatos, and the Los Gatos Town Council demands the
immediate replacement of such equipment with modern, state -of -the
art switching equipment purchased in the open market, and that no
increase in telephone rates should be granted for Los Gatos until
such new switching equipment is installed.
3. That the number of trouble reports for the Los Gatos franchise is
substantially underreported, due to the difficult and time - consuming
process subscribers must endure in placing a 611 call, and Council
further resolves that the PUC should implement a more objective
system to measure the quality of service in Los Gatos and that
such a system should remove the burden on the subscriber to
constantly register service problems.
4. Due to the very poor quality of telephone service Los Gatos has
received from General Telephone for over a decade, at the very
least, General Telephone of California should be assessed a
penalty of a six -month deferral of all rate increases, as is
being done for eight other General Telephone of California
franchises in the State of California.
5. Los Gatos Town Council asserts
business and citizens that all
in our local calling area, and
zones at this time.
it is absolutely essential for
of downtown San Jose be included
no ZUM rates be increased for any
6. That Lifeline telephone rates be made immediately available to
serve our large senior citizen population, as well as those on
fixed or limited incomes.
7. That when the PUC requires General Telephone of California to
immediately improve service in Los Gatos, and unless General
Telephone of California makes the necessary capital investment
to improve service, the Los Gatos Town Council will consider any
and all unilateral actions necessary to provide competent and
reliable telephone service in our community.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, at a
adiourned regular meeting held this 12th day of December
1983, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS Joanne Benjamin, Eric D.
Carlson, Brent N. Ventura and Hoyor
Thomas J. Ferrito
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS None
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS Terrence J. Daily
SIGNED:
MAYOR OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS
ATTEST:
CLERK OF THE TOWN OF LOS eFOS