Windstream Makes $15,000 Settlement With Pennsylvania Utility Commission

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission of Harrisburg, Pa., recently announced it had settled a lawsuit with Little Rock’s Windstream Corp.

According to a PUC news release, the settlement included a $15,000 civil penalty and an agreement to change billing practices. The PUC voted five to nothing to issue the settlement for comment. It stemmed from a May 2011 investigation by the PUC into Windstream’s "no proration" billing practice.

"At that time Windstream did not pro-rate charges for fractional periods and instead billed customers for an entire cycle when those customers discontinued or changed services," the release says.

The PUC alleged that this practice violated Pennsylvania’s public utility code, PUC regulations, Federal Communications Commission regulations and Windstream’s tariff.

The settlement means Windstream will pay $15,000 and discontinue the "no proration" practice in Pennsylvania. Under the settlement, Windstream doesn’t admit any wrongdoing.