Sasha Richardson, a Qwest spokeswoman in Seattle, said the problem started in late May and apparently ended last week after officials from the two companies talked by phone.

Puyallup-based Comcast spokesman Walt Neary said Monday that Comcast is not blocking its phone customers from calling Qwest. He said the company, the largest cable provider in the United States, believes the problem stems from "technical routing" among service providers in Oregon and Washington.

In an interview, Grant said she was asked by friends who work at Qwest to dial the number, (800) 244-1111, a few weeks ago.

"It was an instant busy signal. Usually a busy signal starts with a pause. This was instantly a busy signal," Grant said.

After contacting her friends, a Qwest representative called Grant and asked her to call the 800 number again Friday. Her call went through, Grant said.