BellSouth: 300,000 Supra Telecom customers' service threatened

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Posted 2:49PM on Monday, October 21, 2002

MIAMI - Unless state regulators intervene, Supra Telecom's estimated 300,000 Florida customers could lose phone service because of the carrier's failure to pay about $18 million it owes BellSouth Corp., BellSouth officials said Monday. Supra Telecom, an alternative local exchange carrier that sells discount phone service it leases from BellSouth, defaulted on its requirement to pay millions in fees due in August, said Joe Lacher, BellSouth's president for Florida. Atlanta-based BellSouth filed an emergency request Monday with the Public Service Commission in Tallahassee, a panel that regulates utilities in Florida, asking it to let BellSouth continue providing service to Supra Telecom customers while they choose another carrier. BellSouth's request would give the customers 14 days to choose a new phone company before their service would be cut off, said Kevin Bloom, a PSC spokesman. Bloom said the panel would probably not make a decision before Tuesday. If the PSC approves the plan, customers would be expected to be billed by their new provider for the period of time BellSouth covered their service, Lacher said. No decision had been made on how soon Supra Telecom customers would lose their service if the PSC decides not to approve BellSouth's request. "We are in the business of selling telecommunications services and we would prefer to be paid so we could continue to provide service to Supra," Lacher said. Phone messages seeking comment from Supra Telecom management were not immediately returned Monday. Most of Supra Telecom's customers are located in south Florida. Supra Telecom did not ask BellSouth for more time to pay its bill, Lacher said. Supra Telecom has been restricted by BellSouth from signing up any new customers since Sept. 9, Lacher said.