Lumen to pay $825K to customers whose phones were cut in pandemic

Lumen will pay $825,000 in a settlement to 1,099 Washington customers whose landline telephones were shut off in violation of an emergency moratorium on disconnections, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.

The company, formerly known as CenturyLink, will pay $707.55 for each unlawful disconnection between March 23, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, according to the Attorney General’s Office. That’s when a ban on such disconnections was in place, under an emergency order by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Customers whose phones were disconnected more than once will receive a payment for each disconnection. Checks are expected to go out by Feb. 10.

The settlement is in addition to $625,250 in penalties issued against Lumen over phone disconnections during the moratorium by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.

In a statement, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Lumen’s actions caused Washingtonians to lose “a critical lifeline.”

“This outcome compensates Washingtonians who were harmed, provides accountability for unlawful conduct, and reduces the likelihood of similar conduct in the future. I appreciate Lumen’s willingness to work with my legal team to reach this resolution,” he said.

Lumen spokesperson Linda Johnson said in an emailed statement, “As a large portion of the disconnection process is automated and involves different billing systems, Washington state’s extended COVID-19 moratorium posed a challenge. As a result, a small portion of our customers were disconnected and charged late fees in error.”