October 4, 2004

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today approved Pigeon Telephone Company’s application for authority to offer expanded local calling for its Alba, Lakes of the North, Pigeon and Twining exchanges to all adjacent exchanges. 

Pigeon’s monthly basic local exchange rates will increase by $6 per line for its residential, one-party customers and by $7.20 per line per month for its business customers.  Pigeon customers will continue to be make unlimited calls within their existing local calling areas.  In addition, customers will be able to make 2,000 minutes-of-use (MOU) per line per month in local calling to the expanded local calling area, with additional MOU charged at 5 cents per minute.

Pigeon’s Alba exchange customers will be able to call the Bellaire and Gaylord exchanges of Verizon North Inc., the East Jordan and Mancelona exchanges of SBC Michigan, the Elmira exchange of CenturyTel of Michigan, Inc., as well as Pigeon’s Lakes of the North exchange.

Pigeon’s Lakes of the North exchange customers will be able to call Verizon’s Gaylord and Grayling exchanges, SBC’s Mancelona exchange, the Manistee River exchange of Upper Peninsula Company, as well as Pigeon’s Alba exchange.

Pigeon’s Twining exchange customers will be able to call Verizon’s Prescott exchange, SBC’s East Tawas exchange, CenturyTel’s Wittemore exchange, and the Omer and Aus Gres exchanges of CenturyTel Midwest-Michigan, Inc.

Pigeon’s Pigeon exchange customers will be able to call SBC’s Bay Port, Owendale, Sebewaing, Bad Axe, Gagetown, and Unionville exchanges, Verizon’s Cass City, Caseville and Elkton exchanges, and CenturyTel’s Kinde and Port Austin exchanges.

The MPSC received comments from 12 customers about Pigeon’s expanded calling plan.  Seven customers supported the plan; five customers urged rejection of the plan.

In approving the application, the Commission noted that it is in the public interest, offering the benefit of expanded local calling areas with a reasonable rate increase.  The Commission also found the 2,000-minute calling allowance reasonable.

The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Labor & Economic Growth.

Case No. U-14195

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