Lawsuit: Free chats cost Qwest a bundle
By STEVE ALEXANDER, Star Tribune
Last update: February 24, 2010 - 10:43 PM
Feb 24, 2010


Is a free chat room for singles a bargain for romance or a telecom
scheme to bilk Qwest?

Qwest Communications alleges in a new Minneapolis U.S. District Court
lawsuit that it's a scheme. Qwest, a 14-state regional telephone company
based in Denver, is suing Tekstar Communications of Perham, Minn., for
alleged unfair competition.

Tekstar, which provides local phone service in more than a dozen rural
northwestern Minnesota communities, said it has done nothing wrong.

Qwest's suit claims Tekstar drove up its volume of incoming
long-distance calls from around the world