Local phone bill

My non-cellular phone bill this month was for $61.52. Of that, $32.83 was for DSL, and $28.69 was for local.

My local bill cost $19.84 for basic service, plus $8.85 for taxes and fees. That's 27% of the total bill.

How many minutes of local phone calls did I place last month? 10 minutes. So I am paying $2.87/minute for local calls.

I can't cancel local because then I won't get DSL. I can't change my local to metered service because then get charged payphone rates to make local calls, and it would only take one error to wipe out any savings.

Given that I know how much the unionized agents make at this particular local phone company, and how high regulation has made barriers to entry, I understand why they can get charge so much for their service.