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Oregon PUC Puts Phone Company Service Quality Data On Internet
July 24, 2000 (2000-036)
Contacts: Ron Eachus, Chairman, 503 378-6611; Roger Hamilton, Commissioner, 503 378-6611; Joan H. Smith, Commissioner, 503 378-6611; Bob Valdez, Public Information Officer, 503 378-8962
Salem, OR - For the first time, Oregon consumers using the internet can compare the quality of phone service provided by the four major telecommunications companies serving the state by accessing the Oregon Public Utility Commission's (PUC) web site at http://www.puc.state.or.us/PUC/telecom/squality/index.shtml.
The site will provide consumers with information on the performance of wire centers
and switches in their communities, which play a critical roll in routing calls, and to make sure callers get dial tone when they need it. They will also be able to determine how promptly companies fill new orders, make repairs, and how long it takes callers to reach a real person at a company's business office.
The site will initially include data on Qwest, formerly known as U S WEST, GTE, Sprint, and CenturyTel. The site will be expanded in September to include all phone companies providing local service with more than 1,000 access lines.
Commission staff will keep the site updated on a monthly basis with performance charts. Columns highlighted in bright yellow will clearly show consumers where companies are failing to meet state standards.
"There's going to be a lot of information on the site, but we tried to make it as simple as possible," said Commission Chairman Ron Eachus. "The color coding should make it easy to spot violations. And the data hounds can go beyond that if they want to."
Commissioner Eachus said the idea for the web site originally came from constituents in Roseburg and Grants Pass who complained about U S WEST service problems during PUC hearings in those communities last Spring.
The Commission decided to put the new information on its web site to give consumers the ability to compare one company with another and to keep pressure on all providers to maintain a high level of service quality.
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