Short Glossary

NID: Network Interface Device - this unit connects your house wires to the telephone company wires to provide you with dial tone. This is sometimes referred to as the interface.
House Wires: Wires that run from the NID to your jacks inside your home - also known as inside wiring. These wires and materials are customer owned property.
Outside Wiring: Wires that run from the NID outward to the pole and street. These wires and materials are owned by Union Communications.
Protection Plus: A maintenance plan offered by Union Communications to protect its customers from unexpected repair charges associated with inside wiring and jacks.
Equipment: Devices that are plugged into the telephone jacks in your dwelling.
Noise: Unwanted sound or pollution.
Static: A random signal (or process) with a flat power spectral density.

Cross Talk: Pieces of speech or signaling tones leaking from other people's connections.

No dial tone

If the problem exists on one phone: Unplug (from the phone jack) all equipment on the line. Plug in a line powered (non AC power) corded handset phone and see if the dial tone returns. If it does the trouble exists in a piece of electronic equipment that you just unplugged. Plug in one piece at a time and see if dial tone stays working. If you lose dial tone again, after plugging a certain piece of equipment in - that piece of equipment has been damaged. Try plugging another piece of equipment in that jack and see if it works (this will rule out wire/jack and/or equipment). If dial tone still does not work you may need to work on the wiring.
If the problem exists on all your phones: The next step is to determine its location. If you have a testable NID on the outside of the house, use a 3/8" nut driver to access the customer side of the interface. Unplug the modular connection (looks like a connection on an inside jack) and plug in a phone outside at the interface. If dial tone is present then service to the outside is good and trouble is going inside on customer owned jacks and/or wiring.

Repairs for outside wiring
Call 8603.859.3700 for the repair service to log a trouble and a professional technician will come out and address the problem.
Repairs for inside wiring or jacks
If you have a problem with your inside wiring or jacks, you can fix it yourself, hire a repair technician of your choice, or contact Union Communications to request a repair service. A service charge will be applied for Union Communications repair assistance if you do not have inside wire maintenance (Protection Plus).
Inside Wire Maintenance
If you have service maintenance (Protection Plus), costs for repairing your inside wiring may be covered by your plan.

Cannot hear or be heard on phone
If you are having trouble hearing or being heard, make sure your phone equipment is properly connected. Usually this problem is the result of connection or equipment problems, such as, cordless phone interference, a damaged headset, or the volume setting on your phone needs adjusting. You can try the following:
1. Hang up and try again using another phone.
2. If the problem persists, it may be the other party's phone. Ask them to check their equipment.
If the problem is due to old equipment, you may have to purchase a new phone.

Noise on the phone line

If you are experiencing static, noise, or hearing others on the line, you can check several things yourself before entering a repair request. By taking the extra step and following the information below you could avoid possible service charges.
If you are experiencing noise problems:
Static can be generated by any piece of electronic equipment plugged into a phone jack in the home, ex.: cordless telephone sets, answering machines, and modems. Try unplugging the equipment from both the jack and the electric outlet and plug in a standard telephone set to see if the problem is resolved.
If the problem persists, begin troubleshooting your phone equipment
Is the problem on all your telephone sets?
" Yes - your next step is to determine if it is an inside or outside trouble (see above).
" No - you most likely have faulty phone equipment that you will have to replace.
Crosstalk: If you are hearing other conversations as interference on your phone calls call 859-3700 and report this to a Union Repair technician

Difficulty making long distance calls

If you are experiencing difficulty in making long distance calls, the trouble should be referred to your long distance carrier.

If your long distance carrier is Union Communications please call the Union Repair Service at 859-3700 to report this trouble. Please include as much detailed information as possible in the trouble details', including where you are trying to call and what happens when you attempt to make the call.
" Restriction of your long-distance calling service if your payments are not current (commonly referred to as toll blocking) is another reason this could be happening. Make sure your bill and payments are current and that a block has not been added to the line.