Iowa’s about to get another telephone company. Spokesman Bob Jennings says Algona’s municipal utility already offers water, electric and a communications service. They offer electric and water now, and a communications utility that includes cable TV and high-speed internet, and starting this week they’re taking applications for the phone service that will come on-line in August. Jennings says in the mid to late 1990s a community vote cleared the way for the town’s utility to move into phone service. At the time the old system needed upgrading but the current owner showed no sign that would happen any time soon so voters approved establishing the utility and having AMU run it. Jennings says the municipal phone company will offer the upgrades citizens wanted when they approved the municipal service. They’ll offer caller ID, call waiting, speed dial, voicemail, forwarding, call “hunting,” and a long-distance plan as well as the local service for both business and residential. Jennings says the local ALgona municipal utilities offer competition for other services in some cases, but not all. Other than satellite, there’s no other company in competition for cable TV television in Algona. The municipal phone company’s due to go on-line in August, and will become one of about 275 telephone companies offering service in the state.
