PUC Lifts Repair-Fee Ceilings

State regulators lifted price controls on Pacific Bell’s inside wire repair services for both business and residential customers, and they granted PacBell’s request to double the ceiling price for its residential basic repair plan to $1.20 per month, up from 60 cents. The move drew immediate protests from consumer groups, which argued that the services are not competitive enough to warrant dropping rate controls. The change was approved on a 3-1 vote. Several agenda items were postponed to give the Public Utilities Commission’s two newly appointed commissioners the opportunity to research the issues. The PUC postponed until June 24 discussion of how to treat calls to local Internet service providers.