Colorado PUC Plans Hearings on Telecom Competition

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission plans four hearings about whether effective competition for phone services exists, said the PUC in a news release Thursday. The hearings will begin at 4 p.m. and end by 7 p.m. on Aug. 3 in Fort Morgan, Aug. 4 in Denver, Aug. 5 in Colorado Springs and Aug. 6 in Delta. The PUC said it's looking at relaxing regulation and eliminating high-cost funding in 104 wire centers, owned by CenturyLink and subsidiaries. Last year, the PUC did the same for 56 CenturyLink wire centers that were determined to offer multiple providers for basic local phone service, it said.