Ars Technica



AT&T CA service quality, CPUC data, 2014-2016 summary

An analysis of current service quality data provided by AT&T CA to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) reveals significant service quality problems.[1] These problems reflect inadequate staffing to address service outages and respond to repair and billing calls.

AT&T missed the CPUC's out-of-service report standard every month since 2014. The CPUC minimum standard for out-of-service reports is 90 percent within 24 hours – that is, 90 percent of AT&T CA's reported outages must be restored within 24 hours to meet the standard. AT&T CA missed the standard every month in the last 36 months. In the fourth quarter of 2016 (the most recent data available), only 54 percent of outages were restored within 24 hours, far below the CPUC standard. In Dec. 2016, only 46 percent of reported outages were restored within 24 hours.

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(AT&T CA service quality data, 2014-2016, CPUC)

What's more, AT&T CA customers often face long restoration times, if their service goes out. The average outage duration was more than 24 hours in 17 of the last 36 months (47 percent). While there is no CPUC minimum standard for this measure, the average outage duration is often longer than the 24 hour measure used for percent of outages restored. In Dec. 2016, the average outage duration was 47 hours.

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(AT&T CA service quality data, 2014-2016, CPUC)

Data for Installation interval and installation commitment were not available from the CPUC for this time period.

Going Forward – CPUC adopts strengthened reporting requirements and automatic penalties.

In August 2016, the CPUC completed a service quality rulemaking that strengthens AT&T reporting requirements and mandates automatic penalties for failure to meet CPUC service quality benchmarks. The strengthened reporting requirements require AT&T to report by wire center on a monthly basis on 5 items: trouble reports, installation intervals, installation commitments met, out-of-service repair intervals and answer time to repair and business offices. The new regulations take effect on Jan. 1, 2017. The first set of reports is due after the first quarter of 2017. These reports will enable policymakers and the public to analyze AT&T service quality data on a more granular level and impose financial penalties for non-compliance.

 

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[1] California Public Utilities Commission, Telecommunications Carriers Service Quality Reports, available at:

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