Gov Beshear signs telecom deregulation bill

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Gov Steve Beshear (D-KY) has signed legislation that limits Kentucky telecommunication companies' obligation to provide landline phone service.

Companies will be allowed to discontinue landline service in urban areas as long as they provide some type of phone service to those areas, such as wireless services or voice over Internet protocol. The companies will retain landline service for existing customers in rural areas, but they will not be required to provide it for new developments. Telecommunication companies say the measure will remove the financial burden of maintaining landline service, allowing them to invest instead in newer technology.


Gov Beshear signs telecom deregulation bill