A B737-700 FLT CREW FOUND THEY HAD NO NOSEWHEEL STEERING AFTER PUSHBACK.

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PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AND WAS GIVEN WAVE-OFF BY GND CREW. ATTEMPTED TO TAXI AND DISCOVERED THAT NOSEWHEEL STEERING WAS NOT WORKING. ASKED OPS TO HAVE BOTH MAINT PERSONNEL AND CONTRACT PERSONNEL COME EXAMINE ACFT. AT LEAST 1 ACFT (POSSIBLY MORE) WERE DELAYED BEHIND US IN THE ALLEY BECAUSE WE COULD NOT MOVE. HAD A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE COMMUNICATING THE PROB TO THE MAINT REPRESENTATIVE. IN THE MEANTIME; AN EMPLOYEE CAME OUT AND DID SOMETHING IN THE NOSEWHEEL WELL WHICH RESTORED THE STEERING. HE GAVE ME A WAVE-OFF. I WAS UNWILLING TO MOVE THE ACFT UNTIL I FOUND OUT WHAT THE CAUSE OF THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING ISSUE WAS. MAINT FINALLY CAME OUT AND HAD ME ENSURE THAT THE BRAKES WERE SET AND THEN HAD ME EXERCISE THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING THROUGH ITS FULL TRAVEL. HE THEN GAVE ME A THUMBS UP AND DEPARTED. I TAXIED CLR OF THE ALLEY TO ALLOW OTHER ACFT TO COME AND GO; BUT I STILL WANTED AN ANSWER REGARDING THE PROB. I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHETHER THIS WAS AN ACFT MALFUNCTION OR THE RESULT OF AN IMPROPER PROC. GOT THE MAINT LIAISON ON THE RADIO AGAIN AND WAS TOLD 'THE BYPASS LEVER WAS OUT OF POS.' I QUERIED HIM FURTHER AS TO THE CAUSE; BUT WAS TOLD THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW. THIS DID NOT HELP ME DETERMINE THE REASON FOR THE STEERING PROB; AND I WAS DETERMINED NOT TO TAKE A KNOWN PROB INTO THE AIR AND/OR LEAVE WITH A KNOWN DISCREPANCY NOT DEALT WITH IN THE LOGBOOK. ABOUT THIS TIME; MAINT TOLD ME TO RETURN TO THE GATE. BACK AT THE GATE; I QUERIED THE MECH WHO HAD COME OUT TO THE ACFT; AND HE SAID HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE CONTRACTOR HAD BEEN OUT BEFORE US. LACKING ANY OTHER INFO; WE WROTE UP THE INCIDENT IN THE LOGBOOK AS A FAILURE OF THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING. I FINALLY LOCATED THE TUG DRIVER OF THE PUSHBACK CREW; AND HE WAS ABLE TO TELL ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE TOLD ME THAT THE PERSON WHO HAD DISCONNECTED THE TOWBAR 'DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING.' YES; THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE. APPARENTLY; WHEN SHE WAS DIRECTED TO 'DISCONNECT THE PIN;' SHE WORKED THE PIN FREE FROM ITS LANYARD ON THE TOWBAR AND LEFT IT IN PLACE; OF COURSE LEAVING THE SYS DEPRESSURIZED. MOST TROUBLING ABOUT THIS EVENT TO ME ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) LACK OF COM BTWN ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. THE FACT THAT A 'NON MAINT' SAVVY PERSON ANSWERS THE RADIO IN SEATTLE JUST ADDS TO THE CONFUSION. 2) THE CONTRACTOR STILL UNWILLING TO ADMIT TO SOMETHING THAT COULD AFFECT SAFETY OF FLT. 3) CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES UNTRAINED OR POORLY TRAINED. 4) APPARENTLY KEEPING IMPORTANT INFO FROM THE FLT CREW (BY COMMISSION OR OMISSION; I DO NOT KNOW).