Minn. Agencies Urge PUC to Protect Landline Users
Don’t reduce Minnesota landline service quality standards, two state agencies advised the Public Utilities Commission in comments Monday on a Lumen petition to eliminate or modify answering time and service interruption rules. Any rulemaking "should be for the purpose of…
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creating appropriate expectations of telephone companies and providing reasonable service standards,” not “reducing standards,” the Minnesota Commerce Department said in docket 21-381. First resolve a probe sought by the Communications Workers of America (docket C-20-432) into “alleged violations of those same rules,” it added. Even if the carrier formerly known as CenturyLink is right that only 4.4% of Minnesota households rely solely on landline for voice, “these landline customers matter,” the state attorney general’s office commented. “There is no reason to believe that any savings CenturyLink might gain from reduced telephone regulation will be invested into increased broadband service,” it responded to one Lumen claim. “It is just as likely that CenturyLink will keep this surplus for its investors.” CWA’s investigation found Lumen “failed to maintain its physical copper plant and has failed to deploy fiber to 46% percent of its coverage area in Minnesota,” the union said. “Elimination of service quality rules does not magically fix understaffing and lack of investment in what might be less profitable areas of the state.” Frontier Communications supported Lumen, saying it “experiences the same demand to prioritize voice service over broadband service in order to comply” with the service interruption rule. “Installation and repair of broadband service often takes a backseat to satisfying the stringent repair requirements for voice service.” Lumen said the 40-year-old rules are “reflective of an era where providers were monopolies that could recover costs associated with service quality standards through rate of return pricing.” Issues “are not limited to one company and the concern about balancing the importance of voice and broadband service in Minnesota is a statewide issue.” Lumen dismissed comments from Stillwater Township residents including Board of Supervisors Chair Sheila-Marie Untiedt, who cited “a long history of complaints, issues and challenges with the CenturyLink services provided on our community.” Untiedt said she personally “endured weeklong stretches where the line is down or the noise is so loud it is unusable.” Stillwater seeks to “leverage this docket for improving broadband services” to about 800 homes there, replied Lumen. “Such an effort is ironic, given that the rules CenturyLink seeks to change prioritize voice repair over broadband.”