Editorial: Official doubts timing of phone hike request

Schmidt says the company agreed when it last received approval for a rate increase that its monthly basic rate would be kept in place until Jan. 1, 2001 -- nearly two years away. Schmidt's argument is buttressed by the fact that at the time Sprint received approval to increase its charges, state regulators were emphatic when they said basic rates would be frozen for five years.

Before the state Public Utilities Commission gets into the heart of Sprint's case it should decide whether or not the phone company should even be before the commission. Only if the company can somehow surmount this legal threshold should the commission weigh whether Sprint can justify seeking a significant rate hike.

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