GIG HARBOR – The CenturyTel, Inc. Web site ranked fourth among 33 telecommunications companies in a recent survey conducted by The Customer Respect Group.

Customer Respect, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on how corporations treat their customers online, conducts the survey on a quarterly basis. The study brings objective measure to the analysis of corporate performance from an online customer’s perspective. It assigns a Customer Respect Index rating to each company.

The CRI is a qualitative and quantitative in-depth analysis and independent measure of a customer’s online experience when interacting with companies via the Internet. Scores of 8.0 and above are considered excellent and show an admirable level of customer respect.

CenturyTel earned a rating of 8.2, compared to the industry average of 6.7. CenturyTel also received distinction as the most improved company in the telecommunications category.

Included in the S&P 500 Index, CenturyTel (NYSE: CTL) is a leading provider of a full array of communications services primarily to rural areas and small to mid-size cities in 26 states. Visit CenturyTel at (www.centurytel.com).