By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The Alabama Public Service Commission is hoping to reduce some of the telephone charges some Alabamians pay. The commission has approved a plan that targets counties where service is divided into several local telephone companies. Sometimes rural residents must make a long distance call even if they're calling someone just a few miles away. The proposal creates expanded local calling areas, and it will cost 22 dollars a month. Participants would be able to talk up to 12 hundred minutes a month under the plan.