Windstream CEO Tony Thomas and 9th District Congressman Doug Collins met today in the Congressman’s Gainesville office to discuss solutions to the continuing service problems in Northeast Georgia. The utility comes under federal purview because it accepted federal money from the Connect America Fund and has received substantial federal tax breaks.
In a press release Congressman Collins mentioned some progress:
“Today was a step in the right direction. Mr. Thomas has promised to hire an additional 40 employees to serve customers in Northeast Georgia. However, Windstream employees were never the issue. At today’s meeting, Mr. Thomas suggested the infrastructure and network has improved in recent years. It is now Mr. Thomas and Windstream’s job to prove to my constituents that their service will meet the needs of the community.”
While the CEO declined the Congressman’s invitation to attend a Town Hall meeting in the district, the Congressman reported that Mr. Thomas did make the following commitment,
“Windstream has agreed to meet regularly with my office to discuss the progress of infrastructure improvements.”