Northern Tier News

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has granted final approval to a settlement intended to resolve enduring service issues with Frontier Commonwealth, as confirmed by several lawmakers who have been championing the cause of impacted consumers.

This settlement was brokered in response to an official complaint lodged last year by the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) and Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) against Frontier for its failure to deliver reliable service to residential and business customers.

Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) along with 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) represent thousands of residents and businesses that receive telephone and/or internet services from Frontier. They issued the following statement:

“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. 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,” they said.

“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. 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,” they added.

Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero expressed satisfaction with the commission’s actions to approve the settlement, which he said brings much-needed relief to customers in terms of more than $100 million in capital spending, customer refunds, and accountability. He expressed gratitude for the cooperation and support his office received from state representatives, praising them as champions of their constituents.

NazAarah Sabree, Pennsylvania Small Business Advocate, also commended the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and state legislators for recognizing the importance of small businesses having reliable phone and internet services to conduct business. She emphasized that any delay in service translates into a loss of revenue.

Under the settlement's terms, customers may be eligible for credits, refunds, and other remedies based on certain past or future issues with their telephone or internet services. Frontier will be required to invest over $100 million in capital expenditures in its service territory, address staffing concerns in the Northern Tier region, and identify and invest in the most troublesome wire centers.

Additional requirements of the settlement include publicizing the company’s medical certification process; accounting for its batteries in remote terminals; developing and filing a maintenance plan to address plant issues; reporting metrics and data related to service quality, including triggers for additional spending to meet benchmarks; providing a rate cap to small business customers; and establishing a consumer hotline.