Only a handful of residents voiced concerns Thursday about proposed telecommunications rules that some predict will mean higher prices and less competition.

        Most of the nearly 20 people who spoke at a public hearing of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) at Cincinnati City Hall were business leaders or members of business organizations who supported the rule changes.

        But many consumers who use such features as Caller ID or Call Waiting, also could be affected by the changes.

        The proposed rule changes would

        • Call for basic phone service to remain regulated, with the price capped. Any increases in basic service would need commission approval.

        • Require phone companies to fulfill a commitment to advanced telecommunications services.

        • Give local phone companies, such as Cincinnati Bell, more pricing flexibility on many secondary services. After a fixed period of one to three years, prices on enhanced calling features could rise.

        • Not subject phone companies to automatic PUCO reviews of their earnings.

        “This plan would permit companies to raise their prices without a review before (PUCO),” said Roger Davis, a member of the citizens group Communities United For Action and a former president of a black police officers' group, the Sentinels.

        Addressing the commission, he added, “I gave you my background as a former police (officer) because I look to you as police.”

        Ray Schomaker, a retiree and member of Communities United For Action, added: “For poor people like me, deregulation hasn't done much good. It only costs us more money we don't have.”

        Robert Sanders, director of distance education for Southwest Ohio Regional Distance Learning Network, said the rule changes bringing high-speed Internet access could benefit his students in Clermont and Hamilton counties, who do video networking.

        For information on the proposed rules, go to www.puc.state.oh.us.

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