CenturyLink, employer of Debra Peterson, nominee for 2018 chair-elect of PRSA, has pledged to “do the right thing” with regard to fraud charges against the company.
CL CEO Glen Post said accusations of fraud filed in eight states that could cost the company up to $12 billion in damages are being investigated by a special committee. A report is due in Q4.
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Glen Post“The allegations in the lawsuits are contrary to everything I believe we stand for and do not represent our principles or values,” he said. “Sometimes we do make mistakes just like anyone else…whatever is found in the investigation of these matters, we will do the right thing,” he added. He did not deny the charges.
Peterson is VP-external and community relations of CL. Her election became official when no opponents appeared at least 30 days before the Oct. 7 Assembly in Boston. Six others were nominated as directors, five of them APR. Sixteen of the 17 national directors in 2017 are APR when only 18% of members are APR.
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Debra PetersonPRSA has barred all reporters from covering its Assembly in recent years and has barred some reporters from entering the exhibit hall at national conferences. Attempts are made to charge reporters the full registration price.
CL, a $17.9 billion company based in Monroe, La., is the third largest telecom in the U.S. in terms of lines served, operating in 37 states. Post has resigned effective Jan. 1, 2018 and will be succeeded by Jeff Storey of Level 3 Communications which is being acquired by CL 9/30/17.
Towers Are in Populated Areas
Telecoms are under attack from Wi-Fi health advocates who say numerous cell towers are in downtown areas of cities, often hidden from view in buildings or church spires, when they should be on the outskirts of towns and separated from populated areas.
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Peterson, while preparing to be chair of PRSA, will have her hands full dealing with the lawsuits, which will take many months if not years to settle, and with charges that CL has cellphone antenna in populated areas.
The cell tower map of Southampton shows 57 cell locations of various types including the one in Westhampton Beach in the steeple of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
Locations of towers are usually posted in municipal websites. They can also be found via www.antennasearch.com by entering an address. The site found, for our home in Westhampton Beacn, 67 towers within a four-mile area and 51 antennas. The towers can be as high as 200 feet and have 24 or more panels about 6 inches wide by 4 feet or more.
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There are 654,490 cell towers and 1,903,328 antennas in the U.S., according to Antenna Search’s latest figures.
Many more will be needed for the proposed installation of 4G and 5G cellphone technology (meaning fourth and fifth generation devices). The transmitters are more powerful than earlier versions but don’t penetrate walls and other obstructions well. Hundreds of thousands of new transmitters will be needed, perhaps every five to ten houses.
Californians Battle Telecom Bill
SB 649, a California bill passed earlier this month and awaiting the signature or veto of Governor Jerry Brown, eliminates local control in any facet of permitting cell towers for the 5G buildout.
The Calif. Brain Tumor Assn. said more than 300 of the 400 state cities and towns have expressed strong opposition to the bill as well as 47 of the 58 counties. Mayors of six of California's largest cities have sent the AT&T-initiated bill’s sponsor, Senator Ben Hueso, a letter opposing the measure.
The League of California Cities said the bill “unnecessarily and unconstitutionally strips local authority over public property and shuts out public input and local discretion by eliminating consideration of the aesthetic and environmental impacts of ‘small cells.’”Similar bills are pending in 20 other states.
Eight States Sue CenturyLink
Minnesota on July 12 joined seven other states in filing a class-action consumer suit against the company.
The state says CL, which has $17.9 billion in revenues, has “an incredibly complicated pricing scheme” that involves more than 1,500 different scenarios of what would be charged.
Negative comments about CL abound on the web. Consumer Affairs shows 713 comments, 689 giving the company one star out of five.
Facebook displays numerous complaints of poor customer service, over-charging, complicated bills and technical failures.
Suris of Wells Fargo a Leader of PRSA, IPR
Charges against CL have been likened to those against Wells Fargo that resulted in $185 million in fines and 5,300 staffers being fired.
Oscar Suris, executive VP and head of CC of Wells Fargo, was co-chair of the 2013 national conference of PRSA. A graduate of the Univ. of Florida, he is affiliated with it. He is a trustee of the Institute for PR, a director of Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and is affiliated with the National Council of La Raza.
One CL customer said the quoted rate of $14.95 monthly turned out to be $29.95. Another said service was offered for $19.95 but the bill was $367.33 including monthly net service for $71. The suits say damages could range from $600M to $12B. Also filing are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
Company spokesman Mark Molzen said CenturyLink is cooperating with Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson by providing all requested information. He said the company takes the allegations “seriously” and they are “completely inconsistent with company policies, culture and Unifying Principles.”
When Peterson becomes chair in 2019, CL will be the biggest company represented in the top elected post at PRSA since 1994 when Joseph Vecchione of Prudential Insurance was president. Prudential revenues are $50B+.
More than half of the Society’s elected presidents or chairs since then have been solo practitioners or in small PR firms including Sam Waltz, Stephen Pisinkski, Reed Byrum, Del Galloway, Joann Killeen, Cheryl Procter-Rogers, Judith Phair, Rhoda Weiss, Gerry Corbett and Jane Dvorak.
Lo Isidro, senior director at Real Chemistry with more than a decade of strategic communications and PA experience, has joined Narrative Strategies.
Nelson Fernandez, former North American chair of APCO Worldwide and managing director of Burson-Marsteller, has joined Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires as director of communications and PA.
Lilit Bargar, who was most recently an EVP in the healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick, comes on board at GCI Health as EVP, corporate practice lead.
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