Lawmakers responsible for phone cost hikes

To the editor:

Since May 2013, FairPoint Communications’ monthly measured service rate has increased by 30 percent and the unlimited local service rate has increased by 70 percent.

Wow – what a great piece of legislation the Senate passed in 2013 taking the control of rate increases out of the hands of the Public Utilities Commission (amendment to House Bill 542 regarding the deregulation of telephone rates and service). FairPoint now determines when and how much they will raise rates for their customers.

How can these rate increases be justified, when seniors only received a 1.5 percent cost-of-living increase in monthly Social Security benefits, and many others in the private sector received no cost-of-living increase at all?

How did your legislators (House and Senate) vote on this unfair legislation allowing these unfair rate increases?

Bill Whalen
Sanbornton