News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Jim Palmer, Director of Information

September 29, 1999

GOVERNOR SIGNS COMMISSION’S EMERGENCY RULE TO REQUIRE ADVANCE NOTICE TO CONSUMERS OF TELECOM RATE INCREASES

(OKLAHOMA CITY)—The Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s emergency rule change to require phone companies to notify their customers in advance of rate changes has been signed into law by Governor Frank Keating. It was Sept. 14 that the Commission acted on the request of Commissioner Denise Bode to change the notice rule on telephone rate changes.

The commission’s decision stemmed from numerous complaints received from Oklahoma AT&T customers who were notified by AT&T nearly two months after the long distance company increased its rates on several of its calling plans.

During the Sept. 14 emergency rule making, AT&T apologized for being late in its notice to customers. Commissioner Bode asked the company if it had considered a refund to Oklahoma customers as an act of good faith. The company said it would consider it and nine days later announced a two-month roll back of its rate increase for Oklahomans so they would have time to consider what service they wanted.

Previous notice rules allowed companies to tell their customers concurrent with rate increases or as soon as practical thereafter. The new rule requires advance or concurrent notice.

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