A charge labeled “CCI NNE FirsTech” on your bank or credit card statement is a payment to Consolidated Communications for telephone, internet, or related telecom service in its Northern New England territory, processed by a third-party payment company called FirsTech. If you have service with Consolidated Communications (or formerly with FairPoint Communications) in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont, this is almost certainly your regular bill.
What the Three Parts Mean
CCI is the abbreviation Consolidated Communications, Inc. uses across its branding and customer portals, including its “My CCI” online account platform.1Consolidated Communications. View or Pay My Bill
NNE stands for Northern New England. Consolidated acquired FairPoint Communications in a deal that closed in July 2017 and inherited FairPoint’s network and customers across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.2Burlington Free Press. FairPoint Name Vanishing as Consolidated Begins Rebranding The company reorganized that three-state area into a regional unit under the Consolidated brand,3FCC. Consolidated Communications Holdings and FairPoint Communications Merger Order and the FairPoint name was retired starting in early 2018.4Fierce Network. Consolidated Officially Drops FairPoint Name That regional label is what shows up as “NNE” on your statement.
FirsTech is the payment processor that actually moves the money from your account to Consolidated. It’s a wholly owned subsidiary of Busey Bank, based in Champaign, Illinois,5FirsTech. About Us and it handles electronic bill payments for utilities, telecoms, and other billers.6FirsTech. Electronic Payment Processing FirsTech lists CCI as a client,7FirsTech. Home which is why its name rides along in the descriptor.
Two things make this look stranger than it is. The processor you’ve never heard of is doing invisible work behind a bill you did authorize. And former FairPoint customers who still think of the service by the old name may not immediately connect “CCI” to their account at all.
Confirming the Charge Is Yours
Start with the amount and date. Pull up your most recent Consolidated bill or log into your account at MyCCI.net or MyCCIAccount.com and look at your payment history.8Consolidated Communications. href=”https://www.consolidated.com/support/view-or-pay-my-bill” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>View or Pay My Bill If the figure on your statement matches a scheduled or recent payment, you’re done — it’s a routine telecom bill routed through FirsTech.
If nothing on your Consolidated account matches, call Consolidated’s billing support directly.9Consolidated Communications. Contact You can also reach FirsTech at 1-800-800-1598 or by email at information@firstechinc.com.10FirsTech. Terms and Conditions
If the Charge Is Unauthorized
If no one in your household has Consolidated service and nobody authorized a payment, treat the charge as fraud and contact your bank or card issuer right away. How much protection you get, and how fast you need to act, depends on whether the charge hit a debit card or bank account versus a credit card.
Debit Card or Bank Account
The Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E set a tiered liability schedule tied to how quickly you report the problem.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Get My Money Back After I Discover an Unauthorized Transaction
- Notify the bank within two business days of learning about the unauthorized transfer, and your liability is capped at $50 or the unauthorized amount, whichever is less.12eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E)
- Wait longer than two days but report within 60 days of the statement, and liability can rise to $500 if the bank shows earlier notice would have prevented the later losses.13FDIC. What Should I Do if I Have Unauthorized Charges on My Debit Card
- Pass 60 days, and you could be on the hook for the full amount of any unauthorized transfers that happened after the window closed and before you notified the bank.14Consumer Compliance Outlook. Consumer Liability
Once you report, the bank generally has 10 business days to investigate. If it needs more time, it must give you a provisional credit for the disputed amount (minus up to $50) and resolve the dispute within 45 days, or 90 days for certain transactions such as foreign or point-of-sale debit purchases.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Get My Money Back After I Discover an Unauthorized Transaction You can ask for the documentation the bank relied on to reach its decision.
Credit Card
For a credit card charge, request a chargeback through your card issuer. Credit disputes are governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act rather than Regulation E, and the deadlines and process differ, but the first move is the same: contact the issuer promptly.