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Consumer Information

How to Shop for Telephone Services

  1. Find out which local service providers serve your area by watching for their advertisements. You can also figure out which providers are registered to serve in Maine by looking at the PUC’s lists of registered local and in-state toll telephone service providers, or find out which ones are offering the best deals or doing the most business in Maine by checking out the Maine Public Advocate’s Ratewatcher Telecom Guide. Then contact the ones you believe are serving your area.

  2. Review your local calling patterns to determine the average length and number of local and long-distance calls you make in a month. Different service providers may offer different local calling areas, affecting which calls are toll calls.

  3. Make a list of the optional services you want to keep.

  4. Compare rates and service plans of your current provider with the plans of other providers. For a comparison of the rates of many providers, check out the Maine Public Advocate’s Ratewatcher Telecom Guide or call us for a copy.

  5. If you are a low-income customer, ask your current and preferred local service providers if you are eligible for any assistance programs such as Link-Up or Lifeline. Find out the total cost for monthly basic service and connection charges after any assistance credits are applied to your bill. Not all companies offer these credits.

  6. If you are a business customer, you may find discounts available, depending on how many lines you have, how much you and your employees use the phone, and whether you buy bundled service.

  7. Decide which plan best fits your calling patterns and needs. While selecting a local service provider, you may also want to compare in-state toll and interstate long-distance plans.

  8. Notify the new provider that you want to sign up for its services.

  9. Your new provider will notify you with a date when service will start.