November 19, 2020 3:30 a.m.
At a public meeting on Tuesday, the Oregon Public Utility Commission decided to require telecom providers to restore phone service in communities impacted by wildfires.
The commission addressed restoration of voice telephone service by Lumen, the parent company for CenturyLink, United Telephone Company of the Northwest, and Qwest Corporation with service territories in Oregon communities where the wildfires took place. A release said the PUC directed these service providers to offer impacted customers a temporary alternative voice service option by December 1st of this year and to restore their facilities by January 1st of next year, subject to the PUC’s ongoing oversight.
PUC Chair Megan Decker said “Telecommunications service is a necessary utility for Oregonians, and is especially important to those living in more rural areas without a wide range of communications alternatives”. Decker said many residents affected by wildfires have been without phone service for more than two months. She said particularly with winter approaching, “…this is a safety concern”.
During the meeting, the PUC directed CenturyLink, United Telephone and Qwest to:
*Offer a temporary voice service telephone service alternative through available technologies at no additional cost to the customer by December 1st. This is to provide short-term resolution of comparable voice service until long-term service restoration is complete.
*Restore voice service with their own facilities and technology by January 1st of next year to ensure a long-term telecommunications option for residents.
*Lumen representatives will report back to the PUC on November 23rd to provide an update on offering an alternative telecommunications solution by the December 1st deadline. Additionally, representatives will regularly report on the progress of full restoration efforts and their strategies to communicate this information and their timeline to local government officials, first responders in impacted communities, and customers.
People with questions or concerns about their telecommunications or other utility services, can contact the Oregon Public Utilities Commission at puc.consumer@state.or.us.