Michelle Plombon’s landline in St. Paul has gone silent since last November, the day before Thanksgiving. Nearly three months and counting. “There’s my phone, deader than a doornail,” she explains.

Nichole Schroepfer is playing a waiting game. The Shoreview resident says she was a loyal CenturyLink customer for two decades, but not anymore. “In a nutshell, we were getting billed, overbilled ...