Billing Dispute Cut Internet Access

Customers of Imbris Inc. were without Internet access for 17 hours this week, when GTE cut off service to the Coeur d’Alene provider.

Customers from Newport, Wash., to Boise lost Internet access at 5 p.m.

Monday. Imbris officials said access wasn’t restored until they paid a $20,000 past-due bill for an unrelated company.

Imbris taps into GTE’s service line to provide Internet access to customers.

Earlier this year, Imbris’ equipment was located in the same building as another local Internet provider, C-Systems/Netlink. When that company’s equipment failed, Imbris took over some C-Systems customers, said AJ Sims, network operations manager.

GTE continues to bill Imbris for C-Systems’ past-due bills, even though the companies aren’t connected, Sims said.

GTE issued a statement, saying it would not discuss the situation. “We acknowledge that some C-Systems/Netlink circuits were disconnected (Monday) night, which unfortunately affected service to certain Imbris customers. … The issue causing the disconnection was resolved,” the statement said.

Sims said that GTE earlier cut off Internet access to Imbris’ St. Maries customers until it paid $18,000 in C-Systems’ overdue bills.