AT&T has been handed the entire Florida customer base of a competitive telco that the Florida Public Service Commission is accusing of mismanagement. The Florida PSC said in a release that Vilaire Communications, which is actually based in Lakewood, Wash., "showed a lack of technical, financial and managerial capability to operate a telecommunications company," in over-charging users for E911 calls. The PSC also alleged that Vilaire "falsely obtained more than $1.3 million in funds earmarked to provide telephone service to low-income residents," according to a report in the South Florida Business Journal. The Florida PSC is urging further investigations by the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.
For more:
- see this coverage at the South Florida Business Journal