BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - State regulators say consumer complaints against utility and telephone companies in North Dakota were down in 2016.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission said Thursday that complaints last year against the three investor-owned electric companies in the state - Xcel Energy, Otter Tail and MDU - were all slightly lower compared with 2015.
Complaints against the telecommunications company CenturyLink dropped from 89 in 2015 to 60 in 2016. The commission had filed a complaint against CenturyLink for quality of service complaints in 2015. That case was recently settled with an agreement from CenturyLink to invest in infrastructure improvements in western North Dakota and to improve customer service statewide.
The commission received 105 public comments about the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline in 2016, up from 62 in 2015.