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The
Campaign for Quality
Telecommunications Service
Announces its Telephone Customers'
Bill of Right, Urges Legislators
to Sign On
Harrisburg. As our nation does
battle, well-maintained
communications systems are more
vital then ever. That’s why
Citizens for Consumer Justice (CCJ),
Communications Workers of America,
the Alliance for Retired
Americans, small business owners
and other members of CCJ’s
Campaign for Quality
Telecommunications Services urged
members of Pennsylvania’s General
Assembly to sign onto their
Telephone Customers’ Bill of
Rights at a press conference and
rally held in the East Wing
Rotunda of the PA State Capital
today.
Since the inception of the
Campaign for Quality
Telecommunications Services, CCJ
and its coalition members have
received phone calls from around
the state from consumers
complaining of problems with their
telephone service. These
complaints run the gamut of: long
delays for repairs, inadequate
repairs and need for repeated
repairs, poor customer service and
getting a verbal runaround from
customer service personnel,
technicians missing appointments,
problems resolving billing issues
and more. While competition exists
in some of the urban areas, many
customers have only one provider
to choose from and therefore have
no recourse. Because of this, CCJ
became aware of the need for a
Telephone Customers’ Bill of
Rights. Lauren Townsend, Executive
Director of CCJ told rally
participants, “Telephones are our
lifelines. They are a necessity,
not a luxury. That’s why we need
quality, affordable, reliable
telephone service for all
Pennsylvanians.”
Correcting problems with service
quality is a major component of
the Telephone Customers’ Bill of
Rights. Speaking about how poor
service effects seniors, Marty
Berger, President of the
Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired
Americans, criticized the handling
of customer service problems by
some of the state’s incumbent
local telephone companies.
“Seniors depend of telephones
probably more than most. If their
phones are out of service, even
for a short time, it could spell
disaster. When they do call to
report a problem they are often
give a verbal runaround, and
unless they report a medical
emergency there is no guarantee
how soon service will be repaired.
Since some telephone providers
seem more concerned with profits
than doing right by those who
create those profits - their
customers, we need a Telephone
Customers’ Bill of Rights to force
providers to do the right thing.”
“Telephones are lifelines,” said
Berger. “But some companies, such
as Verizon, have deliberate
corporate policies to reduce
service requests. Customers -
including seniors - are being told
to walk around their house to
figure out whether the problem is
in the home wiring or outside. Not
only is it dangerous, especially
during bad weather, but many
customers actually pay for the
dispatch of a technician to test
the line at no cost under the
Guardian or Wire Maintenance Plan.
This it not only contributes to
poor customer service but it is
also false advertising on the part
of Verizon”
The link between poor service and
workforce reductions by the
state’s largest telephone
provider, Verizon, was made by
Vince Maisano, International Vice
President of CWA District 13. He
said, “Verizon’s workforce is
being reduced while customers are
getting inferior service. Over
2,600 positions have been
eliminated in Pennsylvania in the
past eighteen months without a
reduction in the work necessary to
be performed. That has a direct
effect on service quality. Without
an adequate workforce, repairs
can’t take place in a timely
manner, and the network itself
can’t be maintained properly. In
these insecure times, that is not
only bad business but could also
prove extremely dangerous. That’s
why we need a Telephone Customers’
Bill of Rights that will ensure
quality customer service or
penalize companies financially for
non-compliance. “
“In addition,” Maisano continued,
“It is the workers who are most
knowledgeable about the problems
within the companies they work
for. In order for them to assist
in supplying testimony to improve
service, whistle-blower protection
(another element of the Telephone
Customers’ Bill of Rights) is
needed.”
Lauren Townsend discussed another
measure of the Telephone
Customers’ Bill of Rights. “In the
wake of several telecommunications
companies having severe financial
problems it is imperative to hold
telephone providers accountable.
The public is dependent on
telephone service, so it’s
important that their financial
practices be transparent to a
large degree. For instance bad
investments in other parts of the
world have cost Verizon billions
of dollars. They should be forced
to make public how they spend
their money so that we can ensure
that our telephone service is not
in jeopardy.
Another aspect of the Telephone
Customers’ Bill of Rights calls
for the deployment of High-speed
Internet Network across the state.
Legislation was passed in 1993 to
increase the incentive for the
incumbent local telephone
companies to deploy a High-speed
Internet network across the
Commonwealth in both urban and
rural areas alike. However, this
network has not been built and
many areas of the state still
remain without adequate High-speed
access to the Internet. Small
business owner Mike Donia
complained about this lack of
access. “In order for small
business owners to be competitive
they need equal access to the same
telecommunications technology as
afforded to giant corporations.
This means the high speed fiber
optic networks that have long been
promised. The failure of the
dominant telephone service
providers to build this high-speed
network in a timely manner is
costing small businesses and
consumers alike. The only
reasonable solution is reform of
the existing telecommunications
laws allowing for the expedient
implementation of this long
awaited technology.”
PA
Rep. Mike Veon (D-14), a leader on
the consumer side of this issue
spoke about the importance of
High-speed access to the Internet
for all Pennsylvanians. He said,
“As one of the legislators who was
deeply involved in writing the
1993 law, I’m disappointed it has
not been enforced better. In the
information age, the backbone of
economic growth is access to
information and knowledge; no
element of the state’s
infrastructure is more vital than
telecommunications. This is an
issue of basic fairness. People,
schools and businesses in the
state deserve to get the service
they paid for.”
The Telephone Customers’ Bill of
Rights reads:
Whereas, telephones are a lifeline
and that reliable, affordable,
quality telephone service should
be available for all;
Therefore, be it resolved that the
following Telephone Customers’
Bill of Rights should be
established. These rights
include:
Customers should be credited for
the time period that their
telephone is out of service;
Incumbent local telephone
providers should be financially
penalized for customer service
infractions such as not repairing
problems in a timely manner,
improper maintenance of their
network and facilities, not
resolving customer billing
problems, etc.;
Whistle-blower protection should
be granted to workers who testify
at hearings about company
policies;
Incumbent local telephone
providers should be required to
deploy a high-speed Internet
network across the state in a
timely manner or return extra
earned profit resulting from the
alternative rate structure to PA
ratepayers;
Pennsylvania employee
representation should be required
to be on the investment boards of
incumbent local phone companies;
Incumbent local telephone
providers should be required to
invest all profits earned in the
Commonwealth in their Pennsylvania
operations in areas such as jobs,
infrastructure, service quality,
etc.;
Incumbent local telephone
providers should make public
financial information such as how
much money the company spent and
in what areas;
Problems with the relay service
for the hearing impaired should be
addressed; penalties should be
applied in cases of faulty
service.
Background
In 1993 the Pennsylvania General
Assembly enacted Chapter 30 of the
Public Utility Code that allowed
incumbent local telephone service
providers already doing business
in the state to earn unlimited
profits. That increased profit was
to be reinvested in the building
of a statewide high-speed digital
broadband network that was to be
deployed in rural and urban areas
alike, and that was to position
Pennsylvania ahead of the country
as a leader of advanced
telecommunications systems.
Ideally job creation would be the
outcome. Instead, for some
providers, the ability to earn
unlimited profits led to
increasing attention to the bottom
line and cost cutting measures
such as the workforce reductions
and facilities were put in place.
The result for consumers has been
declining service. Also deployment
of broadband service has yet to
take place in many areas of the
state.
CCJ is
documenting consumer complaints
about local telephone service.
Those with complaints can call CCJ
toll free at 1-877-841-9976 or go
to the organization’s website
www.ccjustice.org
to send an email.
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