Hartford, CT – Connecticut’s Consumer Counsel, Claire Coleman, has announced a settlement agreement with the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET), doing business as Frontier Communications, to resolve a series of violations related to the company’s failure to meet state-mandated service quality standards. These violations, which prompted a Notice of Violation and a proposed penalty by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), stem from Frontier’s prolonged lapses in meeting key performance benchmarks for maintenance appointments and service repairs.
The settlement, approved by PURA, requires Frontier to issue retroactive credits to affected customers, while also instituting measures to improve service quality going forward. Under the agreement, Frontier will pay $860,000 in retroactive credits to customers who experienced missed appointments or service outages lasting 48 hours or more from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. Additionally, the company has committed to providing automatic bill credits for any future violations.
“We expect all service providers to meet their obligations, especially when consumers are paying top dollar for essential services like those provided by Frontier,” said Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman. “This settlement will deliver direct financial relief to those harmed by Frontier’s repeated failures and set a clear expectation that such lapses will not be tolerated in the future.”
In its July 2023 ruling, PURA agreed with the findings of the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) that Frontier had failed to meet critical service standards for an extended period. Specifically, the company missed the Maintenance Appointment Met (MAM) standard for 35 months and the Out of Service Repair (OSR) standard for 51 months between January 2015 and December 2023. Furthermore, Frontier failed to file 16 required exception reports detailing these lapses, with a cumulative delay of 8,811 days as of December 31, 2023.
Following these findings, PURA issued a Notice of Violation with a proposed civil penalty of $2.48 million. The penalty was intended to benefit Operation Fuel and the state. A contested hearing was scheduled, but the settlement resolves the matter and ensures that funding will be directed to impacted customers rather than being delayed through legal appeals.
Key Terms of the Settlement:
- Retroactive Bill Credits: Frontier will pay $860,000 in credits to customers who experienced service disruptions due to missed appointments or outages lasting 48 hours or more from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. Affected customers will receive at least $70 for each missed appointment and $10 per day for service outages lasting more than 48 hours.
- Prospective Bill Credits: Beginning January 1, 2025, and continuing until December 31, 2027, Frontier will automatically issue $10 daily bill credits for any service outages exceeding 48 hours and $70 for each missed maintenance appointment. These future credits are designed to incentivize Frontier to improve service quality and comply with state standards.
- Expanded Reporting Requirements: The settlement mandates that Frontier continue filing semi-annual Quality of Service Reports with PURA. These reports will now include detailed plans to address regional performance failures, as well as information on company investments related to wireline infrastructure.
The settlement not only addresses past failures but also ensures greater accountability and transparency from Frontier moving forward. It includes provisions for continuous monitoring of the company’s performance to ensure compliance with Connecticut’s service standards, including critical public safety requirements like timely outage restoration.
“While today’s settlement helps customers impacted by Frontier’s past failures, it also sets the stage for more reliable service in the future,” Coleman added. “Our office will continue to hold service providers accountable and fight for Connecticut consumers’ right to quality and dependable service.”
The settlement represents a significant step in holding Frontier accountable for its service performance, while providing necessary financial relief to consumers and ensuring improvements to the company’s operations in the years ahead.
