by William Skink
It started with a text. Verizon wanted my wife and I to know we were reaching data limits. That’s odd, we thought, we’ve never had this issue before. I’ve also recently gone cold turkey on my Twitter and WordPress App, so if anything I’m using that insidious device we call a “smart phone” even less. My wife thought I should call to inquire, I thought nope, let’s see what this data restriction looks like. So far neither of us have noticed any disruption.
Did I forget to mention that the fix for this dire data situation warranting a text alert was buying more data?
I only mention this because a Cowgirl post (not a Lee Enterprise article) brought my attention to an upcoming vote by the Montana PSC to address shitty phone service from CenturyLink. That vote happened, but I didn’t read the result from the Missoulian, I had to go to the Billings Gazette for some reason to read this:
HELENA — Montana’s Public Service Commission decided Tuesday to sue CenturyLink for failing to promptly restore out-of-service landlines.
The five-member panel voted unanimously to file a lawsuit in a Montana district court sometime before Sept. 1, citing slow response times and service lapses for geographically isolated customers.
“I am very disappointed at the place we’re at right now, and I do think we need to send a very strong message,” Commissioner Roger Koopman said before the voice vote.
The complaint will ask the court to levy fines against CenturyLink QC for violating the commission’s rule that 90 percent of trouble reports be cleared within 24 hours. Commissioner Travis Kavulla said the company has been fixing no more than 60 percent of downed phone lines in that time period.
“They’re candidly, grossly underperforming,” Kavulla said after the meeting.
Wow, thank you PSC regulators for protecting the public’s interest by using the court to ensure the private sector meets the standards it has agreed to. When it comes to a service that may be used by the customer to call 911 in case of an emergency, it’s good to know the PSC can put politics aside and do the right the thing for Montanans.
As for my data limit, go ahead, Verizon, do your worst. Less data could mean less awareness of the shit storm, and that’s not a bad thing. For example, I’m glad it took me a few days to hear about some disgruntled park employee in Wyoming who decided to execute a man in a detox center because he’s tired of cleaning up after homeless people in the park.