" Come to Fruitland. We'd love to have you and our LOCAL phone company isn't going anywhere! "

" Malheur Bell has not been an independent company for over 20 years. It was part of US West that morphed into Qwest. This was an inveitable change. Read the story "wholly owned subsidiary" yes its a small business and run locally but so is Wells Fargo and US Bank, both local offices but owned by huge corporations. "

" Shut down walmart and Home Depot to start with. I'm sure once they are closed, the other locally owned hardware stores and grocery stores will be so busy that they will need alot of extra help. Then move on to every other big name in town...shut them down too. This town has survived on small business since day one. And now that all the small business is quickly dying off, funny how the town suddenly is running out of money. Duh, its because all out money IS LEAVING!!! Small businesses are run by those who actually live here, and amazingly they will spend their money here as well. Big business takes out money, and sends it elsewhere, and they only employee a tiny fraction of the working force. If the money stayed here, there would be many more opportunities for newer small businesses to pop up, fill vacant buildings, etc. Then watch the weeds and trash disappear as new business owners try and make a place in Ontario.

Or keep bringing in all these big names, and watch this town die. "

" First the hospital. Then, our own Malheur Bell. What's next--the schools? The history of this community and its ability to stand on its own are slipping away right before our eyes. I like to deal with local people and it's getting harder and harder to find them. "

" I wish all the best to the the displaced work force. That's the worst part of all of this. "

" Joe Dominick could hold his breath forever and it wouldn't change the decision. We knew this day would come eventually. I'm sorry the office staff will be out of work. Malheur Bell is/was one of the nicest companies in town to work with. The last of the local utilities, I'm sorry to see you go. "

" Lower level of service and loss of good paying jobs in the area. Not what Ontario needs and not what the nine employees need. I wish them the best. Too bad the mayor has a "what the heck" attitude. "

" If you've ever seen how helpful and supremely patient Malheur Bell employees are to those who have language difficulties and are somewhat confused or need help understanding a complex set of options and charges or especially those who have had a hard time occasionally paying all their bills and have had to arrange payments and decide what, if any services can be cut at least temporarily.

Margery, Dan, Jan, Cynthia and so many others have been a family to their customers all the 23 years I have kept up telephone service. It has been a lifeline for me as my health has started to suffer. Calling my parents in Nampa should have been part of those EAS calls the main corridor of I-84 to Mountain Home has experienced for years.

I have paid $31.99 for Qwest DSL for nearly seven years now...the SLOWEST speed they have too and I still argue with them to no avail that "price For Life" amounts to slavery and I don't really care if 1.5 megabyte service is priced comparably as $32 is too much and no amount of bundling is going to make $32 service better. $24-26 would be a lot better. There are a few other reasons that I won't go into.

I had to settle for Qwest before Malheur Bell was affiliated with Qwest and had no DSL options. I assume that options in service available to Payette residents will now become available in some measure here. Still, I;m not crazy about them.

Paying the phone bill at Red Apple's Western Union terminal might be convenient but calling a Asian call center when you are a elderly person with limited hearing (I can hardly understand/hear these calls well myself) and often knowing what might be my internet service problem but they get flustered if they don't stick to the scripts and directions they have as many of them have little or no actual experience with computers, or so it seems.

As I have said for years, AT&T, Verizon or another company would make for real comptition and yet we have something worse than the actual 1970s Ma Bell.

Note: AT&T is NOT AT&T anymore. SBC (the old Southwestern Bell) owns it and in the process the once-proud Pacific Bell/Pacific Telesys also if I recall correctly.

Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company is dead, Malheur Home Telephone Company is dying, long live the Ghost of Telephone Past. "

" Sure hate to see this happen. Was great to have local guys to work with. Everytime Qwest has dipped their corporate hands into local operations, things have never been improved. My best wishes to the displaced 9 employees. You also have my sympathies. Hope the corporate bean counters and Dominick are happy with themselves. "