Frontier's broadband claims can't be trusted, says Race's reply to grant protest

28 June 2017 by Steve Blum
, , , ,

“Frontier is attempting to subvert the [California Public Utilities] Commission’s [California Advanced Services Fund] rules and processes to block a sorely needed project for a disadvantaged community”. That’s the bottom line of Race Telecommunications’ reply to Frontier Communications’ last minute trashing of a $28 million grant for an FTTH system in Phelan and other, nearby high desert communities in San Bernardino County.

The key issue is whether Frontier provides service in the area at the CPUC’s minimum 6 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload speed level. Frontier has made increasingly expansive claims about what it will do in the future, but has offered no proof that it has actually done anything yet. In its reply, Race points to Frontier’s ads that similarly, and falsely, promise fast service in a Californian desert community…

Boron, CA is the site of a successful and fully constructed Race CASF project that is 100% Fiber to the Home. According to Frontier, they have been investing funds in Boron since 2012 and advertise speeds of up to 50 Mbps download. Frontier also claims “to be Boron’s only Internet provider that uses a completely fiber optic network.” These claims are inherently false and further demonstrate the lengths that Frontier will go to deceive consumers and the Commission in regards to their service levels. Customers in Boron and Phelan face many issues with Frontier’’s alleged service – from billing problems, to dishonesty regarding service eligibility. The reality is Frontier has not met the past serviceability needs of this area and cannot document they can do so now. Further, Frontier’s publicly released documents demonstrate its inconsistent definitions of available bandwidth speeds with admitted shortcomings in network capacity. With Frontier’’s woeful rural deployment history as the backdrop, when contrasted against Race’s “Gigafy” solutions, the goals of the Commission will be met and competitive choice for the citizens of Phelan will result with long-term benefit.

The CPUC put Race’s Phelan FTTH proposal through an excruciating review process that dragged on for nearly two years. Anyone who applies for a grant from CASF has to document the lack of service in the project area in detail, and provide verifiable information about financing, budgets, business and construction plans and a long list of other items. Race has played by the rules and passed the test; Frontier has not.

At this point it’s about keeping faith: with independent ISPs, like Race, who rely on the rules and level playing field professed by the CPUC, and with the thousands of people in Phelan who have a right to expect fair treatment.

Letters of support for the Gigafy Phelan grant, submitted by Race Telecommunications, 26 June 2017.
Reply to Frontier’s comments about Gigafy Phelan, submitted by Race Telecommunications, 26 June 2017.
Reply to the CPUC’s office of ratepayer advocates’ comments about Gigafy Phelan, submitted by Race Telecommunications, 26 June 2017.