Regulators asked to
crack down on AT&T

New Britain (AP) - State regulators are being asked to crack down on AT&T and require that the telecommunications company improve its repair operations.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is among those criticizing AT&T and he testified before the state Department of Public Utility Control Tuesday.

The DPUC is conducting a two­phase investigation into why AT&T has failed to meet a required standard for restoring service to customers.

Under the current standard, AT&T must restore service within 24 hours to at least 90 percent of its customers whose phones stop working. According to the DPUC, AT&T has failed to meet the standard for the past eight years.

AT&T officials defend their customer service record, saying the company has consistently met four of the five standards for service required by the DPUC.