1978-03-20 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE 1020 Southwest Tower Austin, Texas 78701 (512) 478-6601 • March 16, 1978 MEMORANDUM TO: Cities Served by Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. FROM: Don Butler, TML Utility Counsel SUBJECT: Recent S. W. Bell Rate Request As you know, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company filed a $214 million rate in- crease request with the State Public Utility Commission on March 9. Several cities have indicated an interest in intervening in the Bell case on a col- lective basis, as was done in 1976 when the Company asked the Public Utility Commission for $298 million in new revenues. * Pursuant to this interest, we are inviting representatives from all of the communities served by Bell to assemble in Austin on the morning of Thursday, March 23 to discuss what, if any, role the cities should play in the current proceeding. We will convene at 10:00 a. m. on that day in the fifth floor conference room of the Southwest Tower (Seventh & Brazos), Austin; adjournment should be no later than noon. In order to protect the right of the cities to participate in the S. W. Bell proceeding, TML will file an intervention motion on behalf of all cities served by the Company. This motion will keep the door open for possible collective action. On March 27, the Public Utility Commission will conduct a prehearing conference to decide a hearing schedule and other mechanical details for the Bell proceeding. On the basis of our past experiences with the P. U. C. , we consider it likely that formal hearings on the Company's application will begin in late May or early June. We hope it will be possible for your city to be represented at the March 23 meeting. Please use the enclosed form to advise us of your plans. *The 1976 S. W. Bell rate case is still being litigated in the courts. The relation- ship between the 1976 Bell case and the Company's recent filing is not known at this time.