Rates for Texas basic residential telephone service, includingthe federal subscriber line charge, range fromabout $13.82 per month in rural areas to $16.72 in urbanareas. But long-run incremental costs for service rangefrom $11.84 per month in the most densely-populatedareas to more than $250 per month in rural areas. Approximately95 percent of all basic residential lines aresubsidized. Sources for the subsidies include added features,business service, long distance and the UniversalService Fund.
Economy
Austin’s Simple Fix for Soaring Housing Costs
After years of watching home prices skyrocket out of reach for first responders, nurses, and young families, in December 2023, Austin city council voted to rewrite its zoning code. The first phase of its HOME Initiative—known as HOME-1—effectively allowed up to three homes on most lots that previously could host only one. A year later,...
December 9, 2025