INDEX – Up to 30 minutes. That’s how long it takes for Douglas Rupp to make a phone call.
Here’s why.
Rupp steps out of his home in the boonies, takes a cable car across the river and drives his car several miles to Index, a town of about 150 people off U.S. 2 in the Skykomish Valley. Once in town, his cell phone picks up reception and Rupp can make a call.
Rupp, 49, works from home for a computer software company in New York City. With satellite Internet access, he does most of his work online, but he has to call the company once a week for a meeting, Rupp said Thursday. Ironically, since he can’t call from home, his telephone interview was from New York City, where he was on a business trip.
“For me, it’s more of a convenience,” he said of his desire to get phone service at his home.
Rupp and seven other families in the area have asked Verizon Communications to extend phone service a few miles to their homes. The eight families have submitted their petition to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.
The commission has scheduled a hearing in December, and may rule in early 2006 on whether Verizon must provide phone service to the remote area, said Tim Sweeney, the commission’s spokesman.
Rupp said most people live in the area year-round, including himself and his wife. Some are old and disabled, and they need a telephone in case of emergencies, he said.
Verizon has asked the commission to dismiss the petition. The company can’t recover the estimated installation cost of $250,000 from a handful of customers, spokesman Kevin Laverty said.
“The question becomes: Should every Verizon customer pay the cost for these eight families?” he asked.
Rupp said he moved to the Index area from Seattle in 1999 looking for quiet and privacy. He knew he would have no phone, but thought he could work something out.
Verizon won’t likely make a profit by extending service to the families, but Rupp added, “As a public utility, they should serve the public.”
The company could seek reimbursement for the installation costs through a federal program called the Universal Service Fund, Rupp said.
But Laverty said that won’t happen because the company’s costs to provide service don’t meet the eligibility requirements for the fund. The families live outside the company’s service area, and they made a choice to live in a remote area, Laverty said.
“It’s difficult for them to expect urban services in those areas,” he added.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@ heraldnet.com.
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