It may seem like a long distance from Arnprior to Cumberland, but it'll soon be just a local call away for Bell phone customers.

The convenience will come with a price, however — increased monthly fees for customers across Ottawa, thanks to a request from the city.

'Our residents and businesses, no matter where they are in the city, should have the same advantages as anyone else.'— Coun. Rob Jellett

Starting June 18, Bell's local calling area will include every land line within city boundaries, as well as communities bordering Ottawa such as Almonte, Smiths Falls and Embrun.

That will save money for rural Ottawa residents who previously had to call long distance to other rural Ottawa areas.

To make up for the potential lost profits from rural customers, Bell is hiking monthly residential and business rates by 50 and 39 cents respectively for the next three years and transferring some of the money to long-distance service providers.

According to Bell, the rate hike was requested by the City of Ottawa and approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Coun. Rob Jellett, who represents the rural ward of Cumberland, said the change is a matter of fairness across the amalgamated city.

"Our residents and businesses, no matter where they are in the city, should have the same advantages as anyone else," he said, adding that businesses inside the city's greenbelt previously had a leg up over rural businesses because they could always call throughout the city without paying long-distance charges.

Jellett headed the rural affairs committee that voted in favour of widening the local calling area. The change was later approved by city council.

City should have let market solve problem: Hunter

But not everyone agrees that hitting Bell customers with a rate hike is the right solution.

Coun. Gord Hunter, the only councillor to vote against the new calling area, argued that the city should have let the market solve the fairness issue by allowing various phone companies to compete based on the size and location of their local calling area.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, the city had received at least 20 calls from disgruntled Bell customers.

Among those upset about the change is Gerry O'Brien.

"The City of Ottawa is not in the telecommunications business," O'Brien said, adding that assuming there are 225,000 residential lines in the Ottawa area, the phone companies will get $4 million over three years from the residential hike alone.

"It's a big piece of money."