SkyWi president fears loss of trust

(KRQE) - The president of a New Mexico Internet access and phone provider said he fears his company has lost its customers' trust after Qwest Communications pulled the plug on the company's Internet services.

Jack Leach, president of SkyWi, said some of the company's customers switched to different providers after losing their connection earlier this week.

SkyWi does business under its own name as well as through subsidiaries ZiaNet and OneConnect IP.

The company's customers include banks and hospitals.

Qwest disconnected the company's service on Tuesday, claiming SkyWi and its subsidiaries owed $1.7 million for wholesale Internet services.

The state Public Regulation Commission on Wednesday ordered Qwest to restore services to all SkyWi customers. Some customers have gotten their service back, but the majority were still without service on Thursday afternoon.

"We're going to have to work very hard, and we're nowhere out of the woods in order to be able to keep our customers and rebuild the trust," Leach said.

The company has filed a federal lawsuit against Qwest, claiming monopolistic practices and racketeering. A hearing is set for Jan. 13.

The outage did not affect 9-1-1 call centers.