Verizon FiOS → [ fiber tech] FIOS Transformation Timeline

Since people expressed interest in trying to figure out how close they were to getting their service once they saw stirrings in their neighborhoods, here is a chronology of events as it applied to my area (Columbia, MD).

Mid-May
Saw contractors burying conduit on a street about a mile from my home.

June 8
Got a door tag stating that "Verizon is transforming its network ..... yada yada yada .... We will soon be installing new facilities to upgrade your service from the ground up."

Jun 13
Got a door tag announcing "Within the next 72 hours, we will begin transforming our network ......."

Jun 14, 15, 16.
72 hours came and went. No action.

Jun 29th.
Got another 72 hour "warning."

Another 72 hours came and went with no signs of action.

July 14
Contractors came through my street and put in the orange conduit.

Vz apparently pulled the fiber during the day between July 15 and July 29 while I was at work.

July 30
Splicers working on the stuff in my street--On a Saturday morning no less.

August 17.
Got another door tag which said in part: "Thank you for your patience. We have just completed the transformation of our network.... Now we just have to complete some work in our switching facilities to bring you the latest technologies."

L-o-o-o-n-g dry spell. Was some activity at the county council level to get the okay for FiosTV which passed unanimously. But nothing heard about when they would light us up.

Sept 23
On a lark, went to the Vz web site where you submit your phone number to find out if Fios is available. BINGO!!!!

Thus, in my area, the elapsed time from first positive sign (first door tag on June 8) and invitation to sign up online (Sep 23) was about 15 weeks. It seemed like an eternity.

Remember, every neighborhood is different and your "mileage" may vary.

Hope you find this timeline useful.

I guess I can't put off my Win 98 - to - XP up(?)grade and installing my wireless network any longer. The rubber is about to meet the road and I want to have that all behind me when they do the install.

Lucky you. Things seem to move alot slower in Bowie, Maryland.

As per the city of Bowie website, initial street digging began in February of this year. There is a guy here "Jackrussel" who got his conduit/fiber put in his neighborhood since March and still no sign of when FIOS will be live.

I just live a few blocks down the road from him and his street got dug up in March and six months later my street hasn't been dug up yet. Go figure.

I have given up on FIOS for now. Currently, I have Comcast's 6 megabit service for $29.99 a month for a year and I will enjoy it as much as I can until Verizon decides to come to my area. I used to be counting down the weeks but I stopped sometime ago.

I have not seen any postings about Bowie being live yet, but I heard sometime once mentioned here it was going to be September(almost gone) and then someone else said December.

My old stamping grounds. Lived on Ivy Hill Lane in the "I" section (1st right off Race Track Road coming from 450) from 1966 until 1977. Would probably still be there if they hadn't started that assinine school bussing.

Jammmin, yep, it's near the end of September and still no fios in Bowie area. I went to COMCAST Internet after the Verizon DSL service took a dive in April. My six months offer is due to expire on 29 October. It will then cost me $57.00 because I'm a non cable tv customer. Because Verizon plans on having FIOS in the Bowie area, they closed the Church Road CO to DSL. I'm in a bind now. I think it probably won't be until next year before we get FIOS Internet or FIOS video. $180.00, even for 3 months is something that I'm not willing to pay. My only option is to drop Direct TV for Comcast's video and internet bundle, with internet then costing me only $42.00, which is reasonable. Sad that Verizon is not more forthcoming with projected dates as to when service will be available in Bowie.

I got lucky with Comcast. I am also a non-cable TV subscriber(I use Dish Network).I got their $29.99 special for 1 year however. I think my one year ends next July so I still have sometime to go.

Its just ridiculous that some people go live alot faster than others. I know that quite a bit of South Bowie has been wired already with Fiber. Everyday when I drive by, I see the "fiber loops" on the poles etc.

The thing that is funny though is that you are so close to me(I am at Mitcheville and Excalibur Road) and your neighborhood got dug up in March and six months later, I see no signs of Fiber on my street or any digouts on my block. To me, it appears that they are slowing things down in Bowie. The city of Bowie website section that deal with FIOS rollouts shows a definately slowdown in new areas versus a few months ago.

I am not going crazy thinking about FIOS anymore. When it comes it comes, and I will deal with it then.

You say you are in Columbia. Where in approximity to Brokenland, I am right at where 32 and Brokenland interest basically. I'v seen them laying fiber since July but no good word from their web site. Do you have your serivce up yet? If so how do you feel about it, what kinda of hardware was installed. If you could provide make and model of your fiber router they gave you that would be awesome. If not when did they give you a time to install? I'm looking forward to that 30mbps package!

Took a little over a month from marking to ordering here in Flower Mound Tx..

I'm in the Hawthorn section of Hickory Ridge--I back up to Cedar Lane about half way between Hickory Ridge and Owen Brown Roads.

First spotted activity along Martin Road in mid-May. Watched them working westward along Owen Brown with their feeder and then laying the conduit on the streets running north and south off Owen Brown Rd.

I discovered that Fios is available about 10 days ago when I tried my number on the Vz Fios page. Even though I registered with them to contact me when it was available, haven't heard anything from them.

I want to get XP running on my desktop machine before I install. Have been having trouble getting Mozilla to talk to the internet both the browser and the e-mail client tell me that they can't find either a web site such as Google or my pop server.

The wired router is a customized D-Link DI-604. Their version is called a VDI-604. Vz claims that it contains more diagnostics in the firmware than does the DI-604. Bottom line is that if you have prolems, you will need their router in line if you want them to troubleshoot. A lot of people are using all kinds of wired and wireless routers in place of the 604. Few if any reports that the others don't work. When they have problems, they just swap in the Vz router, get the problem fixed and then swap their own router back in after the problem is fixed.

Well you are not to far, I check vz's website once a week and run my address through. I don't have a landline from them. Thanks for that router info. I was also curious about the ONT as well. Did you get a similar one as this »My FIOS install ?

On your Mozzila issue, are you running XP SP2, I noticed some anomalies that would come and go, I could never reproduce them if I tired. But I upgraded to SP2 and they were never to return. Also dropping down a version number might help as well.