Southeast Louisiana lawmakers tore into AT&T at a state legislative committee meeting, demanding the company automatically credit customer accounts for prolonged outages. Despite weeks of notice, no AT&T officials attended, but they did send their lobbyist as a representative.
Metairie State Senator Cameron Henry said AT&T’s performance after the storm was unacceptable, and so is the company’s reticence to credit customers’ accounts for prolonged outages. Henry told AT&T’s lobbyist to relay this message to company leaders.
“I would strongly advise to them, like in a breathtakingly strong manner, that we expect our constituents to receive some kind of credit, and relatively soon,” said Henry. “It would be much smarter for them to handle it on their end because, somehow or another, AT&T has gone from bad to worse in this meeting.”
Henry said the Joint Commerce Committee will meet again next month, and he expected AT&T to provide a definitive answer on credits at that meeting. Multiple members of the committee demanded the company not send their lobbyist again, as he was unable to answer any specifics.
Bayou lawmakers also ripped the company for its failure to keep communications online for first responders during and after Hurricane Ida. Thibodaux State Representative Bryan Fontenot said after Hurricane Katrina the state paid AT&T to establish First Net, a dedicated high speed wireless network for first responders. First Net is supposedly designed for disaster resilience, but 22 days later Fontenot said it still is not up.
“This is not just about being able to get on the internet and check my Facebook. This is about the ability to communicate when people’s lives are on the line,” said Fontenot. “You owe the state their money back, and you owe the people their money back.”
Fontenot said lawmakers will pursue compensation for customers through the Louisiana Public Service Commission if AT&T refuses to do so voluntarily.
