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Phone rate increase indeed an issue for voters in 2006

By C.T. BOWEN
Published December 11, 2005

This is the Christmas present from Sen. Mike Fasano to Rep. Ken Littlefield: a big fat bull's-eye.

The Republicans, compatriots in Pasco's legislative delegation for nearly eight years, didn't have a falling out. No lumps of coal shuffled between Littlefield's Wesley Chapel condo at Saddlebrook and Fasano's home in Heritage Lake Estates in west Pasco.

But make no mistake, Fasano helped gift wrap the target on Littlefield last week with comments published in the St. Petersburg Times and broadcast on BayNews 9.

Voters, Fasano said, should take a hard look at legislators who supported the 2003 legislation responsible for raising telephone rates by as much as 20 percent.

"I would suggest to them that they put more people in who voted against the phone rate increase - and I was one of them," Fasano said. "If we can get more people to understand that what we do in Tallahassee trickles down to the consumers back home ... if we can get more people to ... worry more about what's happening locally than up in Tallahassee, then we would be able to solve these problems."

Fasano opposed the telephone rate bill. In fact, he has introduced legislation to repeal it. Only Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, has indicated she will be a co-sponsor.

The opposition in 2003 included Pasco's other senators, Victor Crist of Tampa and Tom Lee of Brandon. The majority of Pasco's Republican delegation in the state House of Representatives also voted against the bill. That included now-school superintendent Heather Fiorentino and Reps. Tom Anderson of Dunedin, David Russell of Brooksville and Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor.

There is one conspicuous absence from the "no" vote list: Littlefield. He voted for the measure and later defended it with the standard talking point dialogue that the legislation actually would increase competition among telephone companies and reduce rates.

Sure, a bill written by telephone industry lobbyists is going to make it easier for their competitors to do business. Make sense to you?

On Friday, Littlefield repeated the refrain, contending the bill will increase competition. He said he is open to the idea of revisiting the legislation, "but I am not open to the idea of repealing what we've done."

Here's what they did: Telephone company lobbyists wrote the bill, steered it through a compliant Legislature, received the blessing of Gov. Jeb Bush (who had vetoed the same legislation in 2002 when he faced re-election), then won Public Service Commission approval for rate increases. Legal challenges stalled the hikes temporarily, but BellSouth, Verizon and Sprint announced rate increases of 10 to 24 percent effective Nov. 1. The legislation also allows the companies to raise their rates as much as 20 percent each year.

Consumer advocates could see this coming, but Littlefield and most legislators were in denial or didn't care. After all, the telecommunications industry contributes significantly to re-election campaigns.

"Competition hasn't come, and people's rates are rising," Fasano said. "The Bells and the Verizons would never advocate competition for themselves. I knew that wasn't going to happen." The rate increase comes at roughly the same time as Progress Energy's $15-a-month jump in residential bills, high gasoline prices and notification from the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. that it wants a double-digit assessment increase on its homeowner rates to make up a deficit.

That is more money for gas, electricity, telephone service and insurance with no increase in service.

The fallout could come in 2006. Of course, the fallout would have to entail actually having a political opponent. Littlefield was unopposed in his 2004 re-election and breezed through earlier campaigns.

Littlefield acknowledged that he expected it to become a campaign issue when he seeks re-election next year. It should.

Legislators made news this week when they decided to give up the gifts and free meals and alcohol supplied by lobbyists. Good for them.

But when they decide to give up rubber-stamping lobbyist-written bills that benefit private clients while harming consumers, then we'll have real reform in Tallahassee.

C.T. Bowen can be reached at 727 869-6239 or bowen@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]