Why should rate deregulation be an exercise in self-defense for pay phone consumers and a futile one at that? ... Government oversight must be maintained to ensure that pay phone owners and carriers do not abuse customers through high rates and by failing to disclose price information required by law.

This deregulation frenzy was predicated on low gas prices, and when gas prices go up it does not work. In some ways these filings are a good thing because they show that there is no guarantee that prices will not keep going up.

Pay phones provide a valuable public service, ... Not everyone can afford a wireless phone or can get access to their wireless service in remote areas. For a significant portion of the population pay phones are a necessity.

Consumers want to know which companies are generating the most complaints about billing, service and coverage before they sign a long-term contract.

The numbers don't lie -- there continues to be a problem, and it's getting worse, not better.

Companies will have an incentive to improve if they know consumers can check out their service records.