Telecommunications Bureau launches probe into Liberty Mobile
By The Star Staff
The Telecommunications Bureau (TB) of the Public Service Regulatory Board announced Wednesday it will investigate Liberty Mobile with regard to the integration process of clients previously served by AT&T Puerto Rico.
TB accepted a request presented by the Independent Office for Consumer Protection (OIPC by its Spanish initials) to investigate the problems that an undetermined number of mobile telephone customers have faced due to the migration of customers to Liberty Mobile from AT&T, which stopped operating in Puerto Rico a few years ago.
The OIPC reported in the request that, as has been publicly reported, in recent weeks an undefined number of customers have experienced problems with their cellular communication service due to the update and integration process carried out by Liberty. It also indicated that senior company officials have offered statements in the media acknowledging that they are updating their systems and that, as a consequence, some consumers have experienced inconveniences with their service.
Some of the issues consumers have faced include temporary service interruptions, complete interruption of incoming and outgoing calling service, no internet service, no text messaging service, text messages and emails not reaching their recipient, and inability to use “roaming” services when they are outside of Puerto Rico, among others.
“The TB, in compliance with its ministerial duty, requires that Liberty Mobile present a report on the situation and in response to the proposals presented by the OIPC within 20 days from receipt of the resolution and order,” added TB Chairman Rafael Otaño. “We also asked the OIPC for a detailed report expanding on the approaches presented, such as statistics and calls answered from affected citizens, and any other related information.”
The TB, in its Resolution and Order in case JRT-2006-OA-0005, orders all telecommunications companies to have the “Know Your Rights” sign visible in all their establishments.
The OIPC began the process to investigate Liberty’s handling of the integration before and after the migration, the number of affected consumers, the process of adequately notifying those customers (before and after the event), the corrective measures used by Liberty, the existence of any mitigation plan and the compensation to consumers for the damages suffered.