Alltel blocked calls to Florida unemployment hot line

Alltel blocked some calls to Florida's unemployment compensation hot line because the line was too busy. However, the problem has now been corrected. 

Florida officials are now trying to determine if other wireless carriers have been doing the same thing. The officials found out last week that Alltel, which was acquired by Verizon Wireless, was blocking calls to hot lines when the calls began backing up, supposedly as a cost-cutting measure, according to Robby Cunningham, a spokesman for the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

Verizon spokesman Chuck Hamby said the company is still researching what happened. "The important thing is everybody can use the number now," he said.

Alltel continues to operate in territory that Verizon divested from as a condition of its acquisition, which closed in January. The territory spans 22 states and covers 2.2 million subscribers.

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