Our business has been using EPB telephone service since January 2005, and since October 2007 EPB has provided our Internet and domain-hosting as well. During that time, we have faithfully paid our bills on time every month, even though we are aware that we are paying more than $200 per month more than comparable or superior service at Comcast would cost.
Last month, our VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system was hacked, and over the weekend scores of international calls to Africa, Australia and other locations were made through our connection. When we discovered the problem, we immediately disabled international calling and contacted EPB. The tech support people said there was nothing they could do until we got our bill because Sprint provides their long-distance service.
When we received the bill, the international calls totaled almost $1,000. We called EPB and spoke with the customer service representative, who said they would get back in touch with us. In the meantime, our research on the Internet found many sites from other providers, both local and across the country, both large and small, who made it clear that the only thing their customers would have to do in such a situation is to inform the company of the fraudulent and unauthorized access calls, and the charges would be deleted.
Our expectation was that EPB would do the same. However, we received a letter from the EPB staff attorney a few days later advising us that they could do nothing about it and had no liability in the matter and we would have to pay for the calls. That letter was followed very shortly by a disconnect notice. Although we had paid the undisputed portion of our bill promptly, EPB is threatening to disconnect our Internet and telephone service unless the balance is paid in full.
Although we are a small business, we have a professional IT advisor, and our telephone system has the recommended security systems in place. Apparently EPB, who provides all hardware and software for our system outside of our server has chosen not to add any protective software to monitor customers’ usage patterns, or the like, similar to what credit card companies do for their customers.
No system is immune to being invaded; in fact, there was a recent article in the Times Free Press detailing how the U.S. Defense Department’s computer network had been invaded when a foreign spy was able to insert an infected flash drive into a military laptop. If the Pentagon’s system isn’t hackproof, an ordinary business’s system certainly can’t be expected to be.
In addition, our IT consultant told us that since EPB provides both phone and internet service to us, EPB could have traced who was accessing our system—but apparently they felt it would be easier and cheaper for them to simply make the customer pay for the charges.
Everyone with a VOIP telephone system needs to be aware that your system could be hacked, and if your service is with EPB, you will not get any help from them. Then you, like us, will be stuck with a huge bill for calls you did not make.
Our three-year contract with EPB expires in October — and we most assuredly will 'not' be renewing service with our hometown, municipality-owned company.
Debbie Pierce
Hixson
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EPB announced that they have equipped the Chattanooga area with the fastest internet in the United States this week. Boasting about how advanced now Chattanooga is with this service. Think so? Some cities in the US are WIFI all over, giving its residents a service we Chattanoogans should be able to receive. Who benefits? All of us that use the internet in Chattanooga. The average ISP subscriber pays about $60 a month for the unfiltered connection.
If EPB and city of Chattanooga should partner in creation of city wide WIFI access, then that will attract more residents to the city and occupy those empty condos and such. In doing so, there will be more consumers buying: water, sewer services, of course electricity, increased tax revenues. In having this WIFI, the city can discontinue "aircards" supplied to police and expensive radio service, because VoIP can be used so much cheaper than traditional land-lines or radio transmission.
If this happens, expect all those other ISP to get upset for losing customers. Comcast, Dish, ATT and the like will not be needed in Chattanooga because 1GB of data flowing to all of Chattanooga will be able to allow computer users to watch TV, talk on the phone, and get their needs met by the city of Chattanooga. However, I will suggest a content filter to be placed on the "free" service, and if anyone wants to remove blocks, can pay for that individually.
My two cents.
Robert Emers
Chattanooga