The legislature clearly stated and certainly intended that all utility rates be reasonable, and we therefore must reject the company's construction which would allow communications utilities to grant unreasonable preferences. See State v. Link, 341 N.W.2d 738, 740 (Iowa 1983) ("[W]e will seek a reasonable interpretation and construction which will best effect the purpose of the statute, seeking to avoid absurd results."). The company argues that the commission for the past twenty years placidly acquiesced in its reading of section 476.5 to allow preferential rates and, in the absence of legislative intervention, is bound by its previous interpretation of the statute.