The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has given its final approval to a settlement addressing service issues with Frontier Commonwealth, lawmakers said last week.
The settlement was in response to a formal complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) and Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) filed last year against the company alleging it failed to provide reliable service to residents and businesses. Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) joined five other legislators in representing thousands of Frontier customers who received telephone and/or internet services from the company.
“For years, Frontier customers have dealt with horrible customer service as well as frequent and sometimes lengthy service outages that were, at best, inconvenient and, at worst, a threat to public health and safety,” the legislators said in a statement. “We are very glad to see Frontier finally being held accountable for its failures. While it never should have gotten to this point, we applaud the consumers who spoke up to share their experiences and thank the OCA and OSBA for taking their complaints seriously and pursuing this case on their behalf.”
As part of the settlement, customers may be eligible for credits, refunds and other remedies based on their experiences with their Frontier telephone or internet services. Frontier will be required to invest more than $100 million in capital expenditures and address staffing concerns in its Northern Tier region and identify and invest in the most troublesome wire centers.
Additionally, the company will be required to publicize its medical certification process, accounting for its batteries in remote terminals, file a maintenance plan to address plant issues, report metrics and data related to service quality, provide a rate cap to small business customers and establish a consumer hotline.
“We are encouraged by the elements of the settlement that force Frontier to address system maintenance issues, including long-neglected wire centers and remote terminal batteries that help ensure continued service, as well customer service concerns, including staffing levels and a new consumer hotline,” the legislators said. “These are the sorts of steps needed to help ensure customers of Frontier Commonwealth get the kind of service they need and deserve well into the future.”
Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) joined state Reps. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming), Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford), Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne) and Joe Hamm (R-Lycoming/Sullivan) in negotiating the settlement.