HARRISURG – A proposed settlement to address myriad service issues with Frontier Commonwealth has been recommended to the Public Utility Commission (PUC) for approval by the two administrative law judges on the case, according to a half dozen lawmakers who have been advocating for affected consumers.

The settlement was negotiated in response to a formal complaint filed by the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) and Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) against Frontier last year for its failure to provide reliable service to residential and business customers.

Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and Reps. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming), Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford), Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), 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:

“We are encouraged to see this case taking another step forward because – we hope – it means we are another step closer to ensuring the customers of Frontier Commonwealth finally get the kind of reliable telephone and internet service they pay for and deserve. Companies like Frontier must be held accountable to the customers they serve, and we are grateful to OCA and OSBA for the work they’ve done to advocate on behalf of our constituents.

“It bears repeating this case would never have been brought if it weren’t for the many consumers who stepped forward to share their stories of being without telephone or internet service for days, weeks or even months. They made it clear these outages are more than just an inconvenience for many of them. They are a threat to health and safety. They are a barrier to student learning. And they are a roadblock for doing business. They deserve better.”

Now that the initial decision has been made, formal parties in the case (OCA/OSBA and the company) have 20 days to file exceptions. At the conclusion of that time period, the PUC may choose to accept the decision, or it could review and potentially change it.

To read the initial decision, click here: www.puc.pa.gov/pcdocs/1821439.pdf.

To read the secretarial letter explaining the decision timeline, click here: www.puc.pa.gov/pcdocs/1821440.pdf.

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.