Vermont regulators have rejected the Verizon phone company’s request to waive most of the $8 million in rebates to customers the company was ordered to make in May. Verizon had asked the Public Service Board for reconsideration of its order, saying it failed to meet repair targets last year due to unforseen factors.
The Department of Public Service, which represents consumers before the board, argued that the company’s main problem were the staff cuts it has made in recent years. The department noted that Verizon voluntarily agreed to meet certain performance benchmarks under a deal in which the state agreed to regulate it less tightly in 2000.