Telephone toll barrier to fall between Conway and Glen, Jackson

There should be a significant increase in phone calls between residents in Glen and Jackson and those in Conway. N.H. Public Utilities Commission is expected to clear the way for customers in the 383 exchange and the 447 exchange to call each other without long-distance charges. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at Jackson Town Hall.Bartlett selectmen gave their support for the toll-free measure at their weekly meeting on Friday. Selectman Gene Chandler, who has worked for the change since last year, said he plans to speak at the hearing. "It just makes sense," he said. "I don't think a lot of people realized it was a toll call to Conway from Glen and Jackson. We'll see if we can't get things changed for the better.""Last fall we circulated a petition asking the Public Utilities Commission to change Verizon's calling areas to include the 447 Conway exchange in the 383 boundary," Dee McClave, selectman for Jackson, said. "It seems unfair for 383 exchanges to pay a toll charge for a 447 call, especially when the high school is located in the 447 exchange... It is imperative that as many 383 telephone subscribers attend this hearing as possible. The PUC is impressed by turnout. The greater the number of subscribers, the better our chance for having 447 in our calling area.""Everything has been submitted to the PUC," Chandler, who represents both Conway and Jackson in the state legislature, said. "The president of Verizon is supporting the change. Hopefully, it won't be a problem. I don't think there will be anything to hold it up."Chandler said it makes no sense that you can make a toll-free call from Hart's Location to Conway, but can't do the same from Glen or Jackson, which are even closer.Rick West and Lisa DuFault, owners of A Better Image Photography in Glen, got the ball rolling to change the current system with the help of Chandler and McClave in April 2002. They posted petitions in Bartlett, Jackson and Glen and the white space quickly filled up. According to PUC, the key to a petition is that it must be signed by at least 10 percent of the phone customers in that exchange and then a hearing before the PUC can be held. Between Jackson and Glen there are 2,400 phone numbers that begin with the 383 prefix. More than 500 people signed the petition."We opened up a business in Glen, near Patch's Market, and have the 383 exchange," West said. "I live in Intervale where it is 356, and I also know that Lisa, who lives in Bartlett Village, is able to call Conway from her 374 number. It never dawned on me that we wouldn't be able to make business-to-business phone calls to Conway from here without a fee... We got our first phone bill and I couldn't believe it. It just set wrong with me."The bill came in February and West immediately set out to get some answers. "I was on the phone with Verizon and really not getting anywhere when in walked Gene Chandler," he said. "He asked me what was wrong. I told him and he was surprised that it was a toll call. He said he was having lunch with a vice president from Verizon the next day and he would see what he could do about this."One of the big factors in favor of the change, according to West, is that PUC looks very strongly at the ability to contact schools without toll charges. "They want you to be able to call your local school system," he said. "Jackson and Glen residents can't do that without paying." If PUC grants the extended service, Chandler said it's possible that toll-free calls to Gorham will be eliminated as a tradeoff. There is also the chance that the 383 exchange will be eliminated, with customers going to 374 or 356 prefixes. "I have no preference in how they do that," West said. "Whether or not they do away with 383 is irrelevant... I think there's a strong sentiment for keeping 383. My guess, and it's just a guess, but I would think there's a enough clout in Jackson to keep the 383 if they want to. I think we're to the point now where it's just a matter of Verizon and the PUC coming to an agreement. They didn't seem to think it would be all that big of a deal since there aren't all that many numbers involved."