A group of state lawmakers is urging customers of Frontier and Verizon Communications to voice their opinions on the proposed merger of the two companies. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) will hold a series of hearings for this purpose.
The in-person public input hearings are scheduled as follows: Monday, February 10, at 6 p.m. at the George A. Smith Middle School Auditorium in Quarryville, Lancaster County, and Thursday, February 13, at 6 p.m. at the Wellsboro Fire Company Annex in Wellsboro, Tioga County.
Telephonic public input hearing sessions are set for Thursday, February 20, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Participants can call toll-free at 866-759-6860 using PIN Number: 71568747. Additional hearings may be arranged in Bradford or Wyoming counties.
State Representatives Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming), Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford), Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne), and Joe Hamm (R-Lycoming/Sullivan) represent many residents who receive services from Frontier. They stated:
“After years of dealing with poor service from Frontier, these customers deserve assurances they will be treated better by Verizon. One way to do that is to specifically outline our expectations for things like services provided, maintenance and enhancement of our communications infrastructure, timelines for repairs, and overall customer service accessibility and responsiveness."
“These are improvements the Office of Consumer Advocate and Office of Small Business Advocate successfully fought for on our behalf as part of their settlement with Frontier last year. We must ensure we preserve any progress we’ve made as a result of this settlement and hold Verizon accountable for building on that progress."
“We are calling on customers of both Frontier and Verizon to come forward and let the PUC know what we need and expect out of this change of ownership. This is our opportunity once again to advocate for quality communications and connection for rural communities like ours.”
While registration to speak at the hearings is encouraged but not required, those interested can pre-register by contacting the Office of Administrative Law Judge via phone or email.
Last fall, Frontier and Verizon announced a proposed merger where Verizon would acquire all assets from Frontier across the nation in an estimated $20 billion deal. For this acquisition to proceed, approval is needed from both federal authorities like the Federal Communications Commission as well as state bodies including the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
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