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NorthStar access |
Locations in Elk River, Cambridge, North Branch and
Princeton. Contact, Chris Mettling Phone 763-633-1071 Fax 763-633-9994 |
Press Release
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Contact: Chris Mettling Phone: (763) 633-1071 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8 AM CST, April 22, 2002 |
Extended area service balloting coming to Princeton
April 22, 2002 — Qwest telephone customers in Princeton will soon be asked to participate in a vote. Customers will be asked whether they want to be included in the Twin Cities metro calling area for an extra fee on their monthly telephone bill. This fee (if it passes) will be called an Extended Area Service fee, or commonly known as EAS.
NorthStar Access supports any decision customers make about being included in the metro calling area with an EAS fee. If customers vote to pass the EAS fee, NorthStar Access will match it, and include it with their service.
Currently, North Star Access offers a metro service product to all Princeton area customers. Before NorthStar Access came to town, the only service available for toll-free metro calling was an FX line from Qwest which cost over $100 per month. NorthStar Access brought a metro calling service to town for just $18 per month.
Under the current method, where customers purchase a metro line, only those customers who want a metro line, have to pay for it. If the vote for EAS passes, all customers in Princeton will have to pay for EAS, whether they do metro calling or not.
At a recent Minnesota Public Utilities Commission meeting, NorthStar Access voiced their opinion that balloting for EAS was not needed. The reason for this is two-fold. First, NorthStar Access takes the position that the competitive marketplace should determine the need for a metro calling service, and not the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. NorthStar Access already offers a metro service product, and Qwest is able to do the same. Second, under the current method of purchasing a metro line, only those customers who do metro calling are forced to pay for it. If the EAS additive passes, the cost will be spread out to all Princeton customers. NorthStar Access believes it is a valid option that only customers who do metro calling, should have to pay for it.
Paavo Pyykkonen, President of NorthStar Access, said “We really just want what is best for customers. We’ve decided that if customers vote for EAS and want to spread metro calling costs to everyone in Princeton, instead of currently to only those who use metro calling, then we will support their decision.”
NorthStar Access is a new local telephone company serving the communities of Cambridge, Elk River, North Branch, and Princeton. NorthStar Access combines a unique offering of high-tech communication services, along with strong local presence in north metro communities, including hometown-based employees and local offices. NorthStar Access offers the all-new fast Internet with FAST DSL Internet, traditional Internet, local telephone service, long distance and other data communication services. NorthStar Access is a joint venture of Sherburne Telesystems and Connexus Energy.