Citizens Object to Lumen Pact With Ore. PUC Staff

A Lumen pact with Oregon Public Utility Commission staff on a successor price plan met resistance Tuesday. The “opposition centers on accountability,” said the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB) in docket UM 1908. “As much as we appreciate the level of detail and effort that went into crafting this Stipulation, CUB does not believe its terms and conditions are sufficient to result in a Price Plan that is in the public interest.” The agreement doesn’t “adequately hold Lumen accountable in achieving results, i.e. reliable service, which at this point is long overdue,” added CUB. Lumen landline customer Priscilla Weaver objected, too. Staff and Lumen ask the PUC to “eviscerate its own” orders that it “found were necessary to protect the rural area near Jacksonville in the event of emergencies,” Weaver wrote. Lumen and Oregon PUC staff filed the stipulation Oct. 10.