Complaint settled with phone company

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa announced that a complaint filed by her office against Qwest International Communications, Inc. has been settled.

The complaint, filed on May 8, alleged that Qwest had been unlawfully switching consumers' long distance providers, and was billing for unauthorized charges: practices known as "slamming" and "cramming." Qwest, a Delaware corporation, denied the allegations of the complaint, but agreed to institute numerous verification systems designed to eliminate unauthorized changes in consumers' long distance providers and unauthorized charges on consumers' telephone bills.

As part of the settlement reached with the Attorney General's Office, Qwest will make a voluntary payment of $175,000 to the State of Nevada.

Under the voluntary settlement of the state's action, Qwest has agreed that it will:

- Follow the requirements of Nevada's "anti-slamming and cramming" legislation that came into effect on June 8, 1999;

- Abide by the Consent Decree entered by the Federal Communications Commission relating to provision of telecommunication services in Nevada;

- Pay $175,000 to the State, which will be used for consumer education, public protection or consumer protection purposes, attorneys' fees and investigative costs.

For information on the Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection, visit the Nevada Attorney General's Web site at http://ag.state.nv.us.