Idaho OKs Qwest deregulation

[Judi Lynn]

Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Montana

Idaho OKs Qwest deregulation

By The Associated Press - 03/22/05

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lt. Gov. Jim Risch cast the deciding vote late Monday to allow Qwest Communications Inc. to begin setting its own telephone rates in three to five years.

Risch broke a 17-17 deadlock.

Qwest has been trying for the past few years wrest control over its pricing from the Public Utilities Commission. The PUC has kept the telephone company's profit margin at between 8.2 percent and 9.4 percent.

Under the legislation passed Monday, Qwest's residential landline telephone rates may increase about 10 percent a year for the next five years, with a maximum allowable rate of $24.10 by 2010. After that, the price would be completely unregulated.
(snip)

Last year, Sen. Jack Noble blocked the telephone company bill by changing his ultimate vote. The Kuna Republican wasn't there for Monday's vote. He resigned under heavy pressure earlier this month following a ethics scandal.
(snip/...)

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/03/22/montana/a09032205_02.txt

[Nadienne]

1. Ouch. (eom)

[punpirate]

2. Idaho...

... first Helen Chenoweth, then the news that the state was spending more on its prisons than it was its higher education system, and now this. No doubt about it--there has to be something seriously wrong with the drinking water in that state....

[0007]

6. Larry Craig the biggest asshole that ever came out of

Rupert Idaho

[bluestateguy]

3. Idaho is just a flyover state as far as I'm concerned

I really could give 2 shits about what happens there. I'm content to just write it off to the Republicans for the next 60 years.

[depakid]

4. Let the libertarian types learn

about why monopolies are regulated....

And I can't think of a better company to give that lesson to them than Qwest!

Suckers.

[Enraged_Ape]

5. Hey, I'm from Idaho

And I believe Luke Skywalker said it best: If there's a bright spot at the center of the galaxy, Idaho is the farthest place from it.