Qwest
Qwest is a large telecommunications carrier serving 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Qwest finished its merger with US West on June 30, 2000.
Qwest is sometimes called Qworst by its subscribers for poor service, and the odd occurrences of Qwest switching customers to Qwest long-distance services without their explicit permission-- a practice known as telephone slamming. In July 2000, Qwest paid a $1.5 million fine the Federal Communications Commission to resolve slamming complaints. In April 2001, they paid a $350,000 fine to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection after accusations of deceptive advertising and slamming practices.
On February 28, 2004, Qwest became the first RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company) to offer "naked DSL"—i.e., DSL Internet service without local phone service.
The former CEO and majority shareholder is Philip Anschutz.
