WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is urging Frontier Communications to address landline services across West Virginia.
Manchin wrote a letter to Frontier Communications Corporation CEO Dan McCarthy where he called the service “poor.”
The letter in part said, “In times of crisis, no one should ever have to think twice about whether he or she will be able to call for help. Unfortunately, I have been alerted of several instances where my constituents who utilize Frontier’s landline service have not been able to complete calls due to service outages.
“The safety of my constituents is my highest priority and the fact that so many of them are unable to do something as basic as calling 911 for assistance is unacceptable. Access to phone service is not a luxury; it is a critical lifeline that could mean the difference between life and death and I implore you to resolve this problem within your company immediately.”
Frontier sent the following response to MetroNews when asked to comment:
“Frontier received Senator Manchin’s letter, shares his dedication to safety and takes its commitment to serve West Virginians and support 911 services seriously. We work to promptly address service interruptions that occur from time-to-time because of severe weather events, vehicle accidents, third-party construction damage to our facilities and other causes.
“Frontier provides service in the most rural areas of West Virginia where other providers choose not to invest to deliver service and where the challenges of remoteness are greatest. We continue to evaluate and execute strategies to improve our service and ensure our customers have access to reliable and affordable service.”