
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 18, 1995                   TAG: 9504180129
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

REGULATORS APPROVE NEW CALLING PLAN

State regulators have approved a Bell Atlantic Corp. plan that will lift toll charges for calls between Roanoke and sections of Bedford and Franklin counties, but will offset the revenue loss with higher basic phone service in those areas.

Affected are calls between Roanoke and Bedford, and between Roanoke and Burnt Chimney in Franklin County.

The State Corporation Commission also said Monday it has approved a similar "extended local-calling plan" between Stone Mountain in Bedford County and Burnt Chimney.

While phone customers will pay higher basic monthly rates, they will no longer have to pay long-distance toll charges on individual calls between the affected communities.

Roanoke phone customers with residential flat-rate service will see their monthly bills increase by 2.7 percent from $12.68 to $13.03 a month. Basic service for Bedford customers will go up 23.4 percent from $12.64 to $15.60; for Burnt Chimney customers, by 38.6 percent from $11.56 to $16.02; and for Stone Mountain customers, by 4.3 percent from $13.59 to $14.18.

Bell Atlantic and Sprint Centel estimate it will take several months to begin service at the new rates.

In a survey last year, 67.9 percent of Bell Atlantic's Bedford customers said they would be willing to pay more for toll-free local service to Roanoke.

by CNB