PUCO looks into Frontier North phone complaints

“Customer complaints indicating extensive telecommunication outages are troubling and deserve to be examined. Today, the PUCO is taking steps to investigate allegations of poor service quality.”

Complaints about lousy landline telephone service by Frontier North have caught the attention of state regulators.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Wednesday opened an investigation against the company, which serves chunks of central Ohio along with big swaths of the rest of state.

The complaint involves what is called basic local exchange service, the simplest and cheapest form of landline service.

“Customer complaints indicating extensive telecommunication outages are troubling and deserve to be examined,” PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo said in a statement. “Today, the PUCO is taking steps to investigate allegations of poor service quality.”

This week, the PUCO filed a letter citing 33 instances in which Frontier allegedly failed to provide adequate and reliable telephone service for its customers. The complaints raise concerns about consumers being able to call 911 or reach doctors, family members and friends.

The PUCO said it received 2,802 contacts about Frontier from consumers between Jan. 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019.

“Through these consumer contacts, staff discovered Frontier’s frequent outages and failure Sam Randazzo, PUCO chairman

to repair facilities within a reasonable period of time and, in some cases, for weeks at a time,” according to a letter from PUCO staff members.

Frontier will have 20 days to respond to the allegations in the complaint.

“Frontier is dedicated to safety and takes seriously its commitment to serve Ohio customers and support 911 services. Service to our customers is our highest priority,” the company said in a statement.

Many complaints about Frontier’s internet and phone service are from rural, high-cost areas, the company said.

Last week, the company reported a $5.3 billion loss for the second quarter, much of it from a one-time charge taken by the company to write down the value of its assets as customers continue to move away from traditional landline service. The company’s shares closed at 68 cents Wednesday, down from a 52-week high of $7.25.