HARRISBURG, Pa. (WENY) - In the northern tier, reliable connection can be hard to come by. For some Frontier Communications customers, it seems impossible.  

“They just don't care,” said John Albrecht owner of the Grand Canyon Motel Resort and Campground in Wellsboro.  

“I don't know how it just continues to go on,” said Carrie Hackett, who runs Hackett and Sons with her family in Tioga County. 

“I mean, this is ridiculous,” said Ken VanSant, Co-Owner of Omi of the Canyon in Wellsboro. 

Hundreds of Frontier Communications customers say they've been left hanging by the telecommunications company, and are waiting for answers.  

“I believe in free enterprise, but at some point, you've got somebody out there robbing people, basically,” said VanSant. Van Sant and other local business owners say they are growing tired of footing the bill for unreliable phone and Internet services.

ATMs and credit card readers are just some of the vital small business tools that rely on stable connection.  

“If they don't have cash and they want use their credit card, you've lost a sale. Who is going to refund the money that we're missing? You know, a couple thousand dollars,” said VanSant, who is not the only frustrated small business owner.  

“I mean, if I ran my business the way they run theirs, I'd be out of business in no time,” said Albrecht. “I don't even want to pay these people because I'm not getting anything,” Albrecht added. 

“Most recently, we couldn't run our credit card machine for two weeks, so we couldn't take customer payments,” said Hackett. Hackett says her company's monthly bill: “continues to increase and the service continues to decrease. I don't know how that's allowable,” Hackett added.  

Customers say the poor service is not limited to just phone and internet, but customer service as well.  

“It’s been about three or four times now that they've removed my ticket number and put it back further and further and further. It's getting ridiculous,” said Albrecht. “You can go up the road here, and you can see tree limbs on top of the phone lines. It’s been there for years, they don’t even cut anything back away from the phone lines,” he added. 

"You lose time and money when you try to call and get a repair ticket, that can take upwards of 45 minutes to an hour,” said Hackett. 

Aside from burdens on small businesses, unreliable connection also poses a safety concern for customers with medical conditions.  

“I also have epilepsy,” said Kim Pitcher of Bradford County, who fears the worst for she and her daughter when the phones are out. “We live so rural out here, she would have had to rode her bike quarter of a mile down the road to get to our neighbors,” Pitcher added. 

“We’re hearing from folks that have been out for weeks on end, 50 some days- not even basic telephone service that their lifeline is connected to. That's a real risk, a life-threatening risk to these constituents of ours,” said State Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford). “Frontier is not investing in the rural communities like they should be. We deserve service just as much as anybody else,” he added. 

Northern tier state Representatives Clint Owlett and Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming) are no strangers to the issue.  

“We receive anywhere from a half dozen to ten or twelve complaints a day. This is outrageous. It's over the top and it cannot continue,” said Pickett. "I am used to businesses being very upset about complaints from customers and they want to do something about it on a quick, regular basis. Frontier is not reacting that way at all. If anything, they're doubling down and getting worse, in my opinion,” she added. 

Complaints by Frontier customers in the northern tier are starting to get noticed. Just last month, the Offices of Consumer Advocate (OCA) and Small Business Advocate (OSBA) filed a 14-page formal complaint to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) addressing the issues.  

The letter references informal complaints by 300 frontier customers in the northern tier and provides a long list of “current and persistent concerns that are not being addressed." In the letter, OCA and OSBA have determined “The Company has or may have violated its obligation to furnish and maintain adequate, efficient, safe and reasonable services and facilities in compliance with the Public Utility Code.” Adding that “The Company's management of its network, staffing resources and response to consumer outage reports suggest a broad failure to meet the company's legal obligations."  

The letter requests the PUC to take action, like public hearings, staffing assessment for Frontier and even civil penalties. In the meantime, customers still feel disconnected with poor service and limited options. 

“There is nobody else, so I'm kind of stuck there,” said Albrecht.

“You feel trapped. You feel like a prisoner under them,” said VanSant.

“It's time to be fair," said Hackett. "It's time that they are held accountable. I just don't understand why people have to go through this much trouble just to be able to have service that they're paying for,” she added. 

WENY News reached out to Frontier Communications for comment but did not receive a statement. 

Reps. Owlett and Pickett will host two informational meetings on Thursday, Feb 16 to discuss the formal complaint filed by the OCA and OSBA against Frontier Communications. 
 
• Wysox Volunteer Fire Company, 111 Lake Road, Wysox, at 3:00 p.m. 
• Wellsboro Fire Company Annex, East Avenue, Wellsboro, at 7:00 p.m. 

Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP no later Tuesday, Feb. 14, by visiting RepPickett.com or RepOwlett.com. To RSVP, you can also call Rep. Pickett’s offices at 570-265-3124 (Towanda), 570-888-9011 (Sayre) or 570-836-4777 (Tunkhannock); or Rep. Owlett’s offices at 570-724-1390 (Wellsboro) or 570-297-3045 (Troy).