Hear Frontier Regional President At Sac'to Committee Hearing (Complete/Unedited + Salient Sound Clip); Says LB Conversion Related Troubles Amounted To About 1,500; Assemblyman O'Donnell Challenges Figure; Company Estimates Ten Days [to May 28] To Bring Trouble Backlog To Normal Level

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(May 18, 2016) -- As heard LIVE (full audio plus salient sound clip below), Frontier's Western Region President Melinda White described for a Sacramento Assembly Committee technical issues that the company said produced a higher than expected number of service disruptions in Long Beach during conversion from Verizon...and said the number of conversion-related troubles in Long Beach was "somewhere around 1,500" while acknowledging "it probably felt like more than that." Ms. White's figure drew and a polite but swift challenge from Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, Long Beach), who isn't a member of the Committee but was allowed to participate in its proceeding by the Committee chair, Mike Gatto (D, Los Angeles/Burbank),

Assemblyman O'Donnell replied, "I've got to challenge you...I'm sure it's many more than the number you've quoted."

[Scroll down for further.].

When Ms. White noted that at a May 14 public meeting in Long Beach (organized by Assemblyman O'Donnell), the company took 131 meetings [with consumers to resolve issues], O'Donnell replied that he appreciated the company's effort at the meeting but said he's hearing form "people down the street from me that are coming to my door so if you extrapolate that across my district, it's many more than the number you've quoted." His views were echoed by Committee chair Assemblyman Gatto.

Assemblyman O'Donnell asked (several times) what Frontier's plan is to address the existing backlog; Ms. White replied that in the previous week, Frontier had doubled and tripled the number of techs in Long Beach (at one point reaching 150 techs in Long Beach) and got the backlog down to less than 80. So how long will it take to clear up the backlog, O'Donnell asked? Ms. Smith replied that to get us to business as usual, a manageable backlog, will take "about ten more days." [May 18 + 10 = May 28.]

LBREPORT.com carried LIVE streaming audio of the Committee's May 18 informational hearing from start to finish and now provides quick-launch audio, both complete and unedited and a salient sound clip (below.) Speakers included Melinda White, President, West Region Frontier Communications and Tim Sullivan, Exec. Dir. of the CA Public Utilities Commission.

Audio was via the Assembly Committee's webpage. To launch, left click the link below. To download (as an MP3 podcast), right click the link below.

Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Audio re Frontier Communications (May 18, 2016) (complete, unedited)
Salient sound clip: Frontier Regional President White offers some technical information, engages in colloquy with Assemblyman O'Donnell and Committee chair Gatto.

Asked ny Assemblyman David Hadley (R., L.A./Southbay) what was the high point in the number of problems, Ms. Smith replied, "I'll have to get back to you with that number." Pressed by chair Gatto for a "ballpark" figure, Ms. Smith deferred, said it is "not a number that I have with me."