BellSouth asks to cut 411 freebies
Published: Wed, Dec. 27, 2006 12:00AM
Modified Wed, Dec. 27, 2006 04:43AM
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closeHere's the 411: Free directory assistance is going the way of the rotary phone.
BellSouth, the state's biggest phone company, now allows North Carolina customers four directory assistance calls a month at no charge, then gets 97 cents per call. The company last week asked state regulators for permission to phase out free 411 calls over four years.
Chalk it up to computers and competition: It's easier than ever to find free help online and via mobile devices.
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In the past five years, calls for local directory assistance dropped 74 percent, the company said in its N.C. Utilities Commission filing. The commission's consumer advocacy arm, is reviewing the request. The commission is accepting public comment until Jan. 19.
BellSouth contends that customers have plenty of ways to get numbers. There are online directories and search engines, ad-based services such as (800) FREE-411, directories for wireless numbers and even text-messaging services.
The company has ended free directory assistance service in six of the nine states it serves.
So prepare to grab a telephone book and, as the slogan goes, let your fingers do the walking. The Internet age has claimed another victim.
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