Collins: “Windstream Response is More of the Same”

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Collins received a letter from Windstream President and CEO Tony Thomas in response to his letter demanding answers on behalf of his constituents in Northeast Georgia.

“I appreciate Windstream’s response, but unfortunately it is more of the same. I appreciate the establishment of a ‘rapid response team’ in Cornelia, but this isn’t simply an issue of poor customer service. CEO Tony Thomas wrote me in January of 2015, that they “have some catching up to do in some areas” of my district, and yet despite this admission nothing has improved. As a recipient of federal funding, and preferred tax status, Windstream is accountable to Congress, and their customers in Northeast Georgia, for their business practices. Customer service is not the problem – I’ve talked to many qualified professionals who work for the company, who understand that the real problems are with woefully inadequate infrastructure. Windstream can establish all the hotline phone numbers they want, but until they take their responsibility to rural communities seriously, I will continue to hold them accountable for how they spend federal funding.”