Vista's Operations

Vista is an Ohio corporation certified by Decision (D.) 96-07-051 to do business in California as a switchless reseller. Vista is owned by two shareholders, Thomas Coughlin, Sr. and Philip A. Bethune, and is a family-operated business. Vista purchases long distance services from other carriers, and does not have its own primary interexchange carrier (PIC) code with local exchange companies (LECs). Thus, customer data accumulated by LECs regarding Vista appear in the name of the following underlying interexchange carriers and is sent to them: the Furst Group; Sprint; the company that is now MCI WorldCom; Cable and Wireless; and Wiltel. Underlying carriers are able to separate out any PIC disputes regarding Vista. Vista operates reseller services in numerous other states and has entered into a voluntary compliance agreement in Oregon regarding slamming allegations.

In 1996, shortly after starting to operate in California, Vista contracted with telemarketing firms to solicit California small business customers for Vista's long distance services. In 1998, Vista had approximately 67,000 California customers and reported total revenues nationwide of $40 million with an overall net loss.