Cities want combined Northern Colorado calling area

Fort Collins and Loveland residents tired of paying long-distance fees for calls to Greeley might get some relief in the next year or so.
But those who rarely place calls outside the city could be stuck with part of the bill.

A group of government and business leaders, including the city of Fort Collins and the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, are among the leading supporters of a move to combine 14 Northern Colorado communities into a single calling area.

The effort was spearheaded by the city of Loveland, which filed an application with the state Public Utilities Commission in October.

Qwest Communications International Inc., which provides most of the phone service in the region, is scheduled to provide information to the PUC by the beginning of next week.

The information will project calling volume among the communities and help the PUC determine if the change would be cost-efficient.

Residents will be able to give feedback on the proposal, which, if approved, would take several months to implement. Terry Bote, a spokesman for the PUC, said public hearings will be scheduled.

Gary Gordier, information-technology director for the city of Fort Collins, said «regionalizing» the 970 area code has long been a topic of discussion among government leaders, including Fort Collins City Manager John Fischbach.

The change could spread the costs all over the state, though, Gordier said.

«Nothing’s free,» he said. «If we wind up having the toll charges taken away, rates increase on the other side of the coin.»

Fort Collins and Greeley created a dedicated circuit so employees of both municipalities could make calls without long-distance fees. But as fees fell, Gordier said city officials dropped the exchange at the beginning of 2003, citing cost efficiency.

Gordier estimates the city saved $10,000 a year by giving up the dedicated circuit.

Renee Wheeler, assistant to the city manager of Loveland, said expanding the calling area shouldn’t lead to additional costs.

Wheeler notes the town of Berthoud was granted an extension of the coverage area in 2000 and phone bills didn’t increase.

«If it didn’t happen in Berthoud, why would it happen in Loveland?» she asked.

By BOB MOOK