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No Rate Hike Until ICE
Compensates Customers: Aresep
Rules
Costa Rica's regulator of
public prices and services, the
Autoridad Reguladora de
Servicios Públicos (Aresep) has
refused to consider allowing the
state telecoms monopoly
Instituto Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) to introduce
rates changes until the company
compensates customers for an
interruption to service that
occurred during a 20-day strike
in 2003.
ICE has asked Aresep to grant it
an increase of 14% in
rates for fixed line and
cellular telephone service,
along with a reduction in the
rates it charges for its
internet service.
Aresep argues that ICE must
return ¢450 colones (us$0.90) to
each fixed line customer and
¢170 colones f(us$0.34) to each
cellular telephone customer.
The reimbursement should be in
the form of a reduction on the
customer's telephone bill, which
could cost the telecom almost
us$1 million.
Aresep insists on ICE paying the
compensation to the users even
though an arbitration court
suspended an order for ICE to
pay up.
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