State Utility regulators give Centurylink a "slap on the wrist" for E911 outage [telecom]

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By Rita R. Robison

Despite recommendations from the Public Counsel Unit of the Washington State Attorney General's Office that CenturyLink be fined $11.5 million for a six-hour 911 outage in April 2014, state utility regulators approved a lesser penalty of $2.85 [Million].

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission said in an order Monday that the $2.85 million penalty "appropriately reflects the nature and extent of the violations, as well as CenturyLink's actions in the wake of the 911 outage that gave rise to those violations. We conclude that the settlement reasonably resolves the issues raised in the complaint, and the result is consistent with the public interest."