Letter: Legislative act protects customers

Many people are not aware that important legislation was passed this session in Cheyenne to protect consumers. The Wyoming Telecommunications Act, through a strong coalition, was revised and extended.

The legislation passed out of the Senate with only four opposing votes and passed out of the House of Representatives unanimously. And, while it was so widely supported, it’s important to know what the act does for people in Wyoming who may take it for granted.

Thanks to the act, people will continue to have a guaranteed access to reliable landline phone service at a reasonable cost anywhere in the state. Consumers will be protected from the shady practices of slamming and cramming which allow telecommunications companies to switch you away from your provider without your knowledge or add small charges to your bill from third parties without your consent.

The new act also continues the Universal Service Fund which provides a way for companies to offset a portion of the potentially high cost of extending phone service to those in remote areas of the state.

Several key Wyoming groups came together to make this happen for telecommunication consumers, including the Wyoming Telecommunication Association, Century Link, Wyoming Farm Bureau and AARP. These organizations, who do not normally work on the same issues, met for the last two years to develop compromise legislation that supported both consumers and the industry.

Consumers should also be thankful for the leadership and support of most of the Wyoming Legislature who participated and guided much of that discussion for the last two years so that this could be accomplished. And that distinguished body of citizen legislators also recognized the significance of the collaboration by voting almost unanimously to pass the new Wyoming Telecommunications Act.

Jeanine Cox

Rock Springs

 

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