HARRISURG — Five Northern Tier lawmakers are encouraging customers of Frontier Commonwealth to weigh in on a proposed settlement agreement recently filed with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) by the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) and Frontier.
The settlement was negotiated in response to a formal complaint filed by OCA and OSBA against Frontier earlier this year for its failure to provide reliable service to residential and business customers.
Reps. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming), Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford), 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 about the proposed settlement:
“Our goal from the start of this process has been to hold Frontier accountable to the people it serves. Paying customers deserve reliable telephone and internet services, responsive customer service and proactive efforts by the company to invest in the maintenance of its infrastructure.
“We are grateful to the OCA and OSBA for their efforts toward this goal for the people of the Northern Tier. The hundreds of Frontier customers who took the time to share their experiences through written complaints or testimony during PUC hearings have truly driven this process over the last year. Now it’s time for the next step. We strongly encourage everyone who is served by Frontier to take the time to review the proposed settlement agreement and share their opinions with OCA by Dec. 11. We want to make sure the settlement meets the current and future needs of our residents and businesses.”
The filing of the proposed settlement agreement activated a 45-day comment period for Frontier Commonwealth customers to share their feedback. That public comment period ends Dec. 11. Comments may be submitted to the OCA electronically at FrontierSettlement@paoca.org or by first class mail to: Office of Consumer Advocate, Attn: Frontier Settlement, 555 Walnut St., 5th Floor, Forum Place, Harrisburg, Pa., 17101-1923.
All public comments by Frontier Commonwealth customers submitted prior to the end of the comment period will be considered by the administrative law judges in the case as they make their recommendations and the commission ultimately determines whether to accept, modify or reject the settlement.
The proposed settlement includes a series of credits or refunds for telephone and internet service failures, as well as required investments by the company into long-neglected facilities that have led to an array of service problems. A copy of the proposed settlement, as well as a summary of the document, is available online at www.OCA.pa.gov.
“I believe the commitments we secured from Frontier Commonwealth – including at least $100 million in capital expenditures through 2026 in the service territory, as well as credits and refunds to consumers when they have an outage or a scheduled appointment that is missed — are significant steps forward in ensuring that Pennsylvania consumers served by the company have more reliable access to basic telephone service and broadband,” said Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero. “I encourage the public to comment on this settlement so that the PUC can hear your views about the specific provisions.”
“I am pleased with the settlement terms we were able to negotiate on behalf of Frontier Commonwealth’s customers-particularly the small business customers,” said Small Business Advocate NazAarah Sabree. “We made every effort to ensure that, as a condition of this settlement, all consumers would see a marked improvement in the reliability and quality of service provided by Frontier. In addition, we were also able to secure a rate freeze for small businesses until Jan. 1, 2025. While we await further action from the commission, this joint settlement is an excellent example of effective advocacy, and my office remains dedicated and committed to answering any questions.”
The following is a brief overview of the proposal.
The settlement includes credits for the following future circumstances:
The settlement also includes retroactive credits for current customers and refunds for former customers for past harm from telephone outages and poor quality service. The credits and refunds would be provided at the same level as the future credits outlined above. The refunds and credits would be applied within 180 days of approval of the settlement without the customer having to contact the company; however, a hotline will be provided for consumers to contact the company if they believe they are owed a credit or refund and have not received it. The credits and refunds, up to a maximum of $200, would be applied to incidents between July 1, 2022, and the date the PUC approves the settlement.
Also under the proposed agreement, credits would be provided for broadband services at speeds regulated by the PUC. Credits would be offered for installation delays of more than 10 days as well as for broadband service outages.
To better serve customers with medical conditions, the agreement would require Frontier to publicize its medical certification process (MCP), which allows customers to submit information for their account to be flagged with “a medical indicator” to help Frontier prioritize a customer’s trouble ticket.
Finally, the proposed settlement requires a commitment by the company to invest in maintenance and improvement of its system. The commitment includes:
Following the close of the public comment period, the involved parties will have 15 days to file comments in response for consideration by the administrative law judges. Those judges will issue a recommended decision that may involve approval of the settlement in full or in part, or rejection of the petition for settlement. Should changes be recommended by the judges or ordered by the commission, each of the parties would consider whether to withdraw from the settlement or accept the modification.
