Public Regulation Commission Rejects CenturyLink’s Attempt to Shirk Responsibility to Provide Service to New Mexicans

Contact: Joe Gosiger (jgosiger@cwa-union.org), 602-228-0290

Santa Fe, N.M – For the second time in the past four months, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) has rejected CenturyLink’s attempts to avoid its responsibility to provide quality residential telecommunications service to all New Mexicans.

In a decision issued on February 26, the commissioners approved a hearing examiner’s recommendation to reject CenturyLink’s claim that it should be exempt from regulation. The commission determined that CenturyLink failed to show that there is “effective competition” for residential phone service in the markets they serve.

CWA played a major role in the hearing examiner's recommendation and the Commission’s decision, providing expert witnesses and extensive briefs rebutting CenturyLink’s claims. The decision noted that NMPRC staff agreed with CWA’s conclusion that the Commission should “reject CenturyLink’s Exceptions and adopt the well-reasoned Recommended Decision without alteration.”

“CenturyLink continues to try to shirk its responsibility to over 100,000 New Mexicans who rely on the company for residential phone service, particularly in rural areas” said Brenda Roberts, CWA District 7 Vice President. “Fortunately, New Mexico has not adopted the deregulation agenda being pushed by corporations who are more interested in serving their big stockholders than their customers.”

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