1982-08-18 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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• of rate orders; customers benefit By JOHN C. HENRY American-Statesman Staff Southwestern Beil Telephone Co. today agreed to drop its appeals of 1980 and 1981 rate orders issued by the Public Utility Commission. • A compan~~ spokesman said the agreement to withdraw the appeals has no affect on Bell's cur- rent request for another $971.5 million increase in telephone rates. The attorney general also said that neither Bell nor the PUC would appeal an April district court decision that denied a claim by B.°ll for an addi- tianal $25 million. The court decision did up5old ,dell claims for about $13 million, however. Announcing the agreement, Attorney General Mark White estimated th~$t without the settlement Bell customers acrosts the state faced an addi- tional $100 million in telephone charges. "T'he agreen°.- l:as been endorsed and is sup- p+: `ed by the - - ; ~a ;vfunlcipal League's Sauth- ke5 ~rn Bell .,~, ;ing committee as being in the bast interest of all cities affected by the agree- ment,°' White said. The league historically leads opposition to Bell's rate increase requests. The attorney general said the agreement would end ail pending litigation between Bell and the PUC. As part of the agreement negotiated by White's staff, Bell is withdrawing its appeal of the 1y81 rate order in which it requested ,°',88.9 million in additional revenues and $20.4 million in refunds of~temporary rates ordered by the commission. • Dale Johnson of Southwestern Bell explained that the settlement also calls for the PUC to hold hearings to determine how the company will pass on the $13 million in additional charges that were approved by the district court. Johnson. confirmed that Bell attorne~~s had filed motions in the Texas Supreme Court and with Travis County District Judge Hume Cofer to with- draw their appeals. The settlement "in no way" will affect Bells re- quest on June 21 for the PUC to approve increas- ing the monthly residential telephone rates by $4.c0 and connection fees by $20.15. Hearings on the latest rate request are sched- uled to begin in September. ,ici~_nson expects those hearings to last "at least a month, proL3bly more like five to six weeks." E~