LEWISBURG, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – During Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting, former mayor, DeEtta Hunter, implored city officials to not renew its contract with Suddenlink. The current contract has expired and needs to be reinstated for the company to continue service.
During Tuesday’s meeting, council members were scheduled to vote on the first reading of the contract renewal. If approved, the city will enter into a five-year franchise contract with Suddenlink, allowing the company to operate within city limits to provide service to customers. The contract is non-exclusive, meaning other internet companies may also provide similar services within city limits.
After the ordinance was presented to council, Hunter asked to speak.
Hunter, who claimed that she has been at every city council meeting regarding Suddenlink’s contract renewal, says her experience with the internet provider “has been a nightmare.”
“Five years ago, I appeared before council and said that Suddenlink was headed downhill,” she said. “I told you there were problems then. I told you we were headed here, and no one would listen.”
Hunter, a Lewisburg business owner and resident, says she recently moved out of city limits to avoid service with Suddenlink. She claimed she has received unnaturally high bills from the company, has experienced problems with her connectivity, cannot get ahold of customer service and that the company will not install new equipment.
Hunter says she isn’t the only resident having issues and several council members agreed that they too are experiencing some problems with the company.
“You’ve gotta stand up guys,” she said to council. “Suddenlink doesn’t care about this little city or the surrounding area.”
Director of Government and Public Affairs for Suddenlink/Altice USA Erin Jones was present at Tuesday’s meeting and tried to address some of the concerns presented by Hunter and members of council.
“A lot of things have happened in the last few years,” she began.
Jones stated that the company faced an increase in customer service calls during the COVID-19 pandemic, which did increase customer’s wait times. She says those calls are now back to normal, and that the company’s response time is federally mandated to ensure customers are being taken care of in a timely manner.
Additionally, she said field teams are in place to resolve problems in low-performing areas and that Suddenlink has already invested nearly $5 million in West Virginia to assist with connection issues. The company is looking to invest another $5 million this year.
In terms of the contract, Jones says Suddenlink will continue to service the city as long as negotiations are being made. If the city chooses not to renew, Suddenlink will remove all equipment and cease providing service to Lewisburg customers. It will then become the city’s responsibility to provide service.
Although council members said they weren’t pleased with their current service, they agreed Suddenlink is a better alternative than rival companies both in terms of service and price.
Council approved the ordinance’s first reading.
The approval did not receive a warm reaction from Hunter, who asked why the city continues to remain with a company that isn’t providing adequate service to its residents. Council reminded that the ordinance still needs to be approved at a second reading and public hearing, which gives them time to consider other options if there are any.
Stay with Lootpress as this story develops.
