Radio Station Files Phone Complaint

A radio station whose call-in contests have been blamed for disrupting Moscow telephone service has filed a complaint with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

Owners of KZFN-FM have asked the commission to conduct a full investigation after the Moscow rock music station, Z-FUN radio, received notice from GTE its phone service would be disconnected.

Several times during the last two months, the telephone system in Moscow has been overloaded with calls. When that happens customers have to wait for dial tones, sometimes for more than a minute.

According to the phone company, Z-FUN’s trivia contests and other call-in promotions are flooding the system with calls, particularly during peak lateafternoon hours. GTE recorded 27,500 call attempts in Moscow from 2 to 5 p.m., more than double a normal peak hour and more than triple a regular hour.

Radio station executives say their contests apparently have exposed phone system weaknesses the utility needs to address.

Beverly Barker, director of consumer assistance with the commission, said the commission has issued a summons and set a June 6 deadline for GTE to reply to the complaint.

Bob Wayt, GTE public affairs manager in Beaverton, Ore., said the phone company will not cut off service to Z-FUN with a complaint pending.

The letter to Z-FUN, however, puts the station on notice GTE has found it in violation of a commission rule that allows a utility to disconnect a customer who is “willfully wasting or interfering with service,” Wayt said.