Astoria, located approximately 28 miles from the city of Westport, is a relatively large urban center that offers Westport exchange residents reasonable access to a variety of professional and business services, as well as other commercial activities. The city of Astoria also serves as the county seat for Clatsop County and, as such, provides essential governmental services to Westport exchange residents. The Westport petitioners also established that an overwhelming majority of customers engage in a variety of toll avoidance activities. Many residents simply save calls and make them in Astoria or Knappa. A large number rely on the use of cellular phones.
Many customers use the services of alternative toll carriers.
In fact, the exchange's largest employer places hundreds of calls to the Astoria exchange each month via alternative carriers. Had these uncounted toll calls been capable of measurement and been included in Staff's analysis, it is possible that the Westport customers would have satisfied the Commission's objective criteria for a community of interest with the Astoria exchange. In summary, the Westport petitioners' demographic evidence showed an overwhelming reliance on the Astoria exchange. That reliance, with the amount of toll avoidance, persuades the Commission that a community of interest exists between the Westport and Astoria exchanges. The Commission further concludes that the EAS route between Westport and Astoria is necessary to meet the critical needs of the Westport customers because of the lack of essential goods and services in their own exchange or a neighboring exchange.