The new basic telephone service rate will apply to all Pioneer Communications telephone subscribers as a result of the new legislation. Both residential and business lines will be charged at the rate of $16.00 per month. Fax lines and data lines will also be charged at the basic rate of $16.00. In the case of homes or businesses with multiple lines, each access line will be charged at $16.00.

No, in order to encourage rural telephone companies to move their subscribers toward the new, elevated local service rate targets, the legislation has called for rural companies to begin receiving less money from the Kansas Universal Service Fund (KUSF), and to compensate for this loss by increasing the local rates. The legislation was written in such a manner as to make certain that rural telephone companies do not receive any more revenue in the future than they currently do today. The increase in your basic local service charge compensates for the government-mandated reduction in funding provided from the KUSF. The net change in revenues for the local telephone company is zero.

The Kansas Universal Service Fund, or KUSF, was created by the enactment of the Kansas Telecommunications Act of 1996 that addressed competition and regulation for intrastate telecommunications services. Among other things, the legislation required reductions in the access rates that local telephone companies charge to interexchange carriers (long distance companies such as AT&T, Sprint, MCI, etc.) for long distance calls that originate and terminate within the state of Kansas. Before the reductions, the rates were based on the actual costs incurred by rural local telephone companies to provide access to the interexchange carriers. In return, for this access charge reduction that benefited the long distance companies, the Legislature created the Kansas Universal Service Fund. The purpose of it was to compensate telephone companies that serve high-cost rural areas for the loss in access charge revenue so that local service rates would be kept at an affordable level. All telephone users in the state of Kansas, including those of wireless and long distance companies, pay a KUSF assessment on their monthly bill. Portions of the KUSF are also assigned to support Lifeline assistance for the disadvantaged, Kansas Relay Services for the hearing impaired, and the Telecommunications Access Program that provides terminal equipment for disabled individuals.

Yes, in addition to the standard 240 minutes (4 hours) of expanded area calling, optional packages of 420 minutes (7 hours) and 660 minutes (11 hours) are also be available. 240 minutes per month are included in the basic service rate of $16.00; 420 minutes per month are available for an additional $9.00 per month; and 660 minutes per month are available for an additional $21.00 per month.

Additional minutes used outside of the allotted 240, 420, or 660-minute monthly packages will be charged at the affordable rate of only $0.08 per minute.

Yes, the telephone statement you receive at the close of each month will present you with the number of expanded area calling minutes you were allotted, the number of expanded area calling minutes that were used, and if applicable, the number of expanded area calling minutes that were used in excess of the standard allotment.

Under the new plan, Pioneer telephone subscribers will receive basic service at a rate of $16.00 per month along with a bundle of additional calling features (Calling Number Identification, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 8-List Speed Dialing, and Voice Mail) at no additional charge. By comparison, if purchased from the telephone company in a neighboring area such as Dodge City, Garden City, or Liberal, the cost alone of basic service and the additional calling features would total as much as $39.95 per month. Moreover, the comparable rate of $39.95 in a neighboring area would not include the additional value of 240 minutes of free area-wide calling to become available to Pioneer telephone customers with the new expanded calling area service.

No, under the new service plan Pioneer telephone customers will be able to place calls to all of the communities included in the expanded local calling area with the convenience of only seven digits, in the same manner that you place a local call today. Dialing 1 + the area code (620) + the number will no longer be required to complete calls to communities within the new expanded calling area.

Under the Pioneer Advantage plan, local telephone customers will be able to call more than 50 communities in 17 counties across southwestern Kansas as part of the new expanded calling area. Calls to these areas, within the allotted minutes to be made available with your monthly basic service, no longer require a long distance call.