Brief: PUC, phone company agree to service delay policies

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 11:44 a.m.

In an agreement reached with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in response to a consumer complaint filed in May, Sprint established a plan to respond to service delays, primarily in the fast-growing Summerlin and Lake Mead Drive corridors.

Sprint will spend $18 million by the end of the year in an effort to provide three lines per residence in existing neighborhoods, up from the 1.8 lines per residence currently offered.

In new subdivisions, the company is guaranteeing one line per residence before occupancy and will provide a wireless phone to any customer whose primary residence can't be served by the scheduled installation date.

Rob McCoy, a spokesman for Sprint, said 97 percent of the orders for service are met, despite growth rates of up to 25 percent in Summerlin and areas south of Green Valley. He also said customers who have received wireless phones on an interim basis have liked them so much they don't like to give them up.

Las Vegas has one of the highest demands for lines per residence in the nation. McCoy said Las Vegans enjoy "all the bells and whistles" of phone service, including Internet access, fax machines, home offices and special lines for children.