Home phone line repairs slowed
— -- As phone companies spend billions on souped-up broadband and wireless services, they're struggling with basic home phone line repairs.
Behind the trend is a shift of money away from shrinking landline businesses, say telecommunications analysts and worker representatives. "The money is going into the newer networks," says Debbie Goldman, research economist for the Communications Workers of America.
The average wait for land-line repairs for all phone companies rose 5.1% a year from 2000 to 2005, the latest data available, says the Federal Communications Commission.
In Virginia, the State Corporation Commission last month proposed a state-record $17.5 million fine against Verizon for failing to fix an estimated 170,000 phone outages within the required 24 to 48 hours in the first five months of 2006.
In a filing, Verizon concedes that building its FiOS fiber-optic network "affects Verizon's ability to meet" repair standards. Verizon is spending $18 billion to offer broadband, TV and phone services to 18 million homes by 2010.
In Maryland, Verizon missed more than 20% of its service appointments in five of the first six months of the year, the Maryland Public Service Commission says.
Robert Penfield of Phoenix, Md., says it took Verizon three weeks to restore his home phone service in July. Noting most people also have cellphones, Verizon's Harry Mitchell says, "Someone's phone service being out may not have the same critical element it did in the past."
In response, though, Verizon is assigning 50 fiber-optic technicians in Maryland to part-time repair duty. Mitchell says similar steps are underway in Virginia.
New Mexico regulators in August fined Qwest $6.8 million for slow repairs in 2006. California regulators are proposing a $900,000 fine against AT&T for missing repair standards three months last year.
Qwest and AT&T largely pin the problems on heavy rains, an explanation regulators rejected.
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