During the several recent OPALCO power outages caused by falling trees and errant drivers, our and other Orcas residents’ CenturyLink landlines have lost dial tone for all or the majority of the electrical outage.

This should not occur, as all telephone companies nationwide are required to have sufficient backup (battery and/or generator-powered) UPS -Uninterruptible Power Supplies- to power their central office switches and the phone lines themselves, during electrical power outages.

All phone company customers pay for that capability via the service and taxes amounts we pay monthly.  However, CenturyLink is not providing the dial tone during electrical outages that we are paying them for.

Our public officials and other community members who are landline and internet customers of CenturyLink need to join me in asking CenturyLink why this is happening, what they are doing to correct the situation, and, most importantly, when they will have this problem fixed.

It is especially important in our community, since the cell service is so spotty, that during power outages the CenturyLink landline service has a reliable dial tone.  It is a severe public safety hazard when that is not the case, as has happened way too often recently.

Terry O’Sullivan

Orcas Island