State regulators issue over $130,000 in penalties to CenturyLink

Media contact: 360-664-1116 or [email protected]
Docket number: UT-240078

Company failed to uphold live response time and documentation requirements

LACEY, Wash. - On Friday, Dec. 20, the Utilities and Transportation Commission fined CenturyLink Communications, LLC (CenturyLink) for excessive wait times to reach a live customer service representative and not providing required documentation to the commission.

The commission issued penalties against CenturyLink for 169 violations of WAC 480-07-175(2)(b),which requires companies to make business documents available for commission inspection; and nine violations of WAC 480-120-133(2)(c),which requires telephone companies to connect customers to a live representative within 60 seconds of selecting the option to do so. This totals 178 violations, that respectively took place between March 2023 through February 2024 and March 2022 to November 2022.

The commission assessed a $750 penalty per violation, leading to a total fine of $133,500. CenturyLink must pay this penalty by Dec. 30.

CenturyLink, part of Lumen Technologies, is the largest local telephone company in Washington, serving approximately 650,000 residential and business lines.

The UTC regulates the rates and services of telecommunications companies, investor-owned electric utilities, natural gas and water companies, garbage-collection haulers, household-goods movers and passenger transportation companies, commercial ferries, pipeline companies, marine pilotage, and a low-level radioactive waste repository. The commission does not regulate the rates of broadband, cellular, cable, or internet service.

###