As of today, the Department of Public Service has received in excess of 700 complaints regarding FairPoint Communication’s service since the work stoppage began in October. “The Department has grave concerns regarding the number of customers who appear to be experiencing serious delays in repair of service and we believe immediate remedial action is necessary,” said Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia. Today, the Department proposed, and FairPoint has agreed, to implement measures designed to ensure timely repairs for those most vulnerable without phone service. In addition, FairPoint will begin reporting on how the Company prioritizes repairs.
Those who do not have cellular service available will get priority as FairPoint addresses work orders. In addition, all subscribers who experience a service outage lasting more than seven days will be tracked and reported to the Department. A service quality investigation into FairPoint is already underway before the Public Service Board, as previously requested by the Department.
The Department appreciates FairPoint’s cooperation with these additional measures, as both the state of Vermont and FairPoint work to find a solution to FairPoint’s service quality problems. Recchia added, “In addition to these new measures, I expect that FairPoint will immediately provide whatever additional resources are necessary to permanently resolve FairPoint’s service quality issues.” The Department asks consumers who experience issues with FairPoint to please call the Department’s Consumer Affairs Division at 800-622-4496, TTY: 800-734-8390.
Montpelier, Vermont — Vermont DPS