Cox Communications won the same pricing freedom Monday for its Oklahoma telephone services that its competitor AT&T won in 2005.
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The Oklahoma Corporation Commission voted 2-1 to accept the recommendation of an administrative law judge and deregulate much of the Cox telephone services. Cox sought the pricing freedoms in an application it made in December.
Commissioner Bob Anthony cast the lone dissenting vote. Anthony also opposed AT&T's deregulation bid almost three years ago when he was outvoted by fellow commissioners Jeff Cloud and Denise Bode.
This time, Cloud was joined by Commissioner Jim Roth in voting for the deregulation bid.
However, Roth issued a statement in which he appeared to have some misgivings about the deregulation application, despite his "yes” vote.
Roth said that it appeared that the recommendation for the Cox request relied heavily on the precedent set by the AT&T case in 2005. In that case, the presence of Cox in many AT&T exchanges was cited as evidence of effective competition.
"My only concern is whether the (application) at hand deserved more than a cursory analysis for all 36 exchanges at issue within the (application), instead of blind reliance on an earlier determination,” Roth said.
"I believe that any significant change, by this commission, impacting the regulatory environment of business and ratepayers, as is the case at hand, deserves a full review of the fact and circumstances in each instance, rather than a mere reliance on earlier discussions.”
Contacted later, Roth said that his was not a reluctant "yes” vote. He was merely voicing his view that the commission has a responsibility to "dig deep into the factual analysis of every application” when changes in the regulatory environment are pending.
The commission still owes it to state residents to seriously consider each telecommunication issue, despite evidence that wireless competition gradually issupplanting wireline service in many areas, Roth said.
"Because for that person who still has a home phone and only a home phone, they still expect us to do our duty.”
Later, Cox Oklahoma spokeswoman Christine Martin said, "As always, we will remain committed to providing the best services at the best possible value in the market.”
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The "supply and demand" argument is nothing but a load of male bovine excrement. Didn't you read in the paper how demand is DOWN, supplies are UP, yet the price of the pump keeps rising? There is always some excuse for the high price but when you ask, "Hey, wait a minute, what about...?" No one has the answers. They raise the price because they can. Very little has to do with any sort of reality..it's all based on what MIGHT happen. It was reported a while back that there was a 3 week lag between the price of oil and the price at the pump. This was partially true. If the price of oil is falling, it takes about 3 weeks for it to be reflected at the pump. But if the price of oil is rising, the price increase at the pump the same day. Why? You aren't paying for the price of the gas you are pumping into your vehicle, you are paying for the POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT cost of the next delivery. Ever notice the price rises by a nickel or a dime at a time but only falls a penny or two?
This is BAD NEWS for the consumer...when the corporation commission released AT&T from price controls there was a stipulation that they weren't allowed to raise prices more than a certain amount every year...my bill far exceeded the limits imposed (with no change in service). Cox will probably do the same. I will be voting against the corporation commissioners that voted for this.
I agree that competition will level prices. Unfortunately, Chris, our dumb Commissioners have now made OKC just like your RURAL service! We simply have two monopolies who are controlling the goverment regulations. They both WASTE TONS of money on stuff that no one needs or wants. As this insider see it, they are both disgusting companies. If we had one reliable (not overloaded) cell phone service here, I'd kiss wires goodbye. (PS Bill, gas prices are not high ANY WHERE ELSE in the world! They are high here because the DOLLAR is worth half what it used to be. Everyone else is paying the same thing as before. We use more, but China and India's consumption GROWTH rate is 10 times or more higher than our growth rate. Drilling here is simply a matter of security and not being stupid. Oil here or oil there is worth the same dollars - we just get to control it!)
You guys don't know how good you have it. Spend some time in the rural areas where you're served by a local or regional phone company. Before we moved to Oklahoma City a couple years ago, I was paying more -- substantially more -- for phone service alone than I do with Cox's phone, digital cable and internet bundle.
MartzMimic, Oklahoma City - Apr 15, 2008 at 8:48 pm
No, but look at prices for cox cable tv they keep rising and rising with competition so why wouldnt they do the same with phone service? I do not subscribe to pay tv services because the prices are too high to justify it, i just use an over the air antenna which is free tv.
The reason gas is so high is that there is a limited amount of oil available (supply) and people in the United States and around the world are not curtailing their usage (demand). There ARE things the government could do to help on both sides such as allowing drilling in closed areas and giving financial support to alternative energy sources, but pricing restraints exacerbates the problem instead of fixing it.
Wow, Bobby! That's a heck of a step from deregulation of phone service pricing to sitting in the dark waiting to die. But what is more important is that you seem to forget that free enterprise (supply and demand) usually does a good job of leveling pricing when there is competition. Don't tell me you're one that believes the government has to do everything for you.
Well who wants to bet how long it will be untill we get price increase notices on our cox phone service? Pretty soon it is going to get so bad people wont be able to afford anything i'm afraid except to sit in there dark cold houses with very little food to eat with gas so high you cant afford to buy it to get places just sit and wait to die.
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