Phone Bills To Increase Slightly

Your phone bill is going to get a little bit higher. A court ordered the Public Utility Commission to replenish the universal service fund to the tune of $250 million dollars. That fund helps pay for service in the state’s rural areas. Mark Seale, Executive Director of the Texas Telephone Association says the money stopped flowing for the last two years. Rural providers did their best to not let it affect their customers. He now hopes those projects and expansion will resume. The PUC has raised the fund rate, on your bill, from 3.3 to 24 percent. That translates to a hike from 40 to 50 cents to three dollars a month.