Tester, Daines Criticize Verizon's Cancellation of Wireless Contracts for Rural Montana Customers

Sen. John Tester, D-Mont., criticized Verizon’s plans to terminate wireless contracts of 919 customers in rural areas of Montana by mid-October for spending too much time roaming outside the network. Verizon should reverse its decision because maintaining wireless service in rural Montana is essential to “maintaining public safety, running a business and staying connected during emergencies,” Tester said in a letter to CEO Lowell McAdam. “I am concerned that Verizon did not provide sufficient notice to affected customers, making it likely customers would completely lose service if Verizon follows through.” Tester sought information on Verizon’s decision to pull the wireless contracts, including why the carrier didn’t provide more notice to customers and whether the company would issue customers refunds for recently purchased devices for use on the network. Tester also asked if Verizon intends to “terminate service for all of its customers that are primarily using accounts in areas supported by the LTE in Rural America program, or is it only the large data users that are receiving the termination notices?” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., also criticized the service provider in a statement, saying the move to cancel rural customers’ contracts “is yet another example of the rural-urban divide and choosing a bottom-line over a commitment to Montanans.” The affected customers “live outside of areas where Verizon operates our own network and many of these lines use a substantial amount of data while roaming on other providers’ networks,” a Verizon spokeswoman said. “The roaming costs generated by these lines exceed what these consumers pay us each month.”