April 27, 2009
Docket Number: UT-090441 & UT-090440

OLYMPIA, Wash. – State regulators today levied penalties against two New York-based telecommunications companies for not responding to customer complaints in Washington.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is penalizing Northstar Telecom, Inc. $18,000 and Cordia Communications Corp. $2,700 for unresponsiveness to a variety of customer complaints about telephone service in Washington.

The UTC staff’s review of the company’s complaint data found the phone companies disconnected customers’ phone service, incorrectly billed city taxes to customers who reside outside city limits and switched customers’ local and long-distance service without first obtaining permission to do so. Violations occurred during 2008 and 2009.

Northstar incurred 180 violations of UTC rules due to late responses to commission staff when a customer filed a complaint with the UTC. The UTC also found Cordia incurred 27 violations because of late responses to customer complaints. Depending on the complaint issue, commission rules give telecom companies between three and five days to respond to consumer complaints filed at the UTC.

The telecom companies have 15 days to decide whether they will pay the fines, challenge the violations or request mitigation to contest the amount of the penalties.

Both companies are based in White Plains, N.Y. Northstar is owned by My Tel Co., Inc., a subsidiary company of Cordia Corporation. As of Dec. 31, 2007, Cordia provided service to 645 telephone lines in Washington and reported state gross revenues of $263,119 for 2007. Northstar has 2,506 access lines in the state and reported nearly $1.1 million gross revenues in 2007.

The UTC is the state agency in charge of regulating the rates and services of telephone companies operating in Washington.