Alexandria, Virginia Wants Their FiOS

building their own fiber system, and then we'll see what Verizon will do next.

Sue, lobby politicians to pass laws preventing it, then hire think tanks to argue that city-built fiber kills household pets.

NO WE DO NOT WANT TO DO BUISNESS WITH YOU!! Quit asking, if your lucky in the future we might consider you as a possible customer...

Must be wonderful having that power.. I can just imagine what would happen if someone wanted to deploy their own fiber to the area.. They'd lobby and sue to prevent it im sure..

lot of puppy murder talk lately, karl. skeletons in the closet from your younger years, perhaps?

q.

Shhh.

As soon as Philadelphia wanted to do that with a WiFi network, Verizon was kind enough to help push a state law that banned any city from creating their own communications services, requiring it be outsourced to the private sector.

The governor was proud to sign off on it. Or paid to sign it. Yeah probably the latter.

First off, Verizon didn't scuttle the WiFi network in Philly... it was going to go through... until it collapsed on its own. It failed because it just wasn't workable. The requirements the city put on Earthlink, as well as the price for the job, made the whole thing unworkable. You make it sound like it was legislation that killed that project. It wasn't. And it was a testament to the fact that muni wi-fi generally doesn't work.

And if you really want to make the claim that the state is in the back pocket of Verizon, then please explain why the state still refuses to do a state-wide franchise agreement for Verizon? They won't. Nevermind the fact that Comcast was very successful at keeping Verizon outside of the Philly city limits for a very long time.

Verizon certainly played a role. The right of refusal law they passed in that state was a joke. The crap business model didn't help that network of course, but to say Verizon didn't play a role is wrong.

I know it's trendy for carriers to fight tooth and nail against these projects using lawyers, think tanks, and lobbyists -- and then with a straight proclaim that ALL such projects will never work. But that doesn't make what they're saying true.

How did they play a role? The project for Philly's wifi was already in motion. Even if Verizon was totally responsible for that bill, how did that prevent the competion of that network? You can make the case that the legislation would have stopped FUTURE such deployments, but how did that legislation kill the existing system?

Verizon Shrugged, eh?

If you don't build it, we won't come.

I'm still waiting for my FIOS deployment being in Mt. Washington.

I'm hoping for any kind of sign that we'll see it out towards Greensburg/Jeannette. But if Baltimore doesn't have it yet...guess I'm gonna be waiting a while.

Perhaps the city should have been a little more proactive in overall franchise negotiations instead of focusing on telephone only, then moving on to bigger and better things. Even if the franchise was granted and VZ deployed their fiber, we'd probably be having a discussion about "redlining" in a few years.»alexandriava.gov/FIOS

Negotiators must have done something right here outside the beltway (Fairfax county) because VZ was pulling fiber in my neighborhood a few months ago and "FiOS is coming soon".

Maybe they should have made the agreement contigent on deployment of FIOS instead of an empty promise.

Baltimore City mandated 100% coverage when they signed an agreement with United Cable (later TCI and then Comcast) and they still did not do it until they were forced to. Could be another reason Verizon won't go into the City.

Muni-Fiber is the way to go. Not only does it give competition its usually cheaper and provides further funds to the local gov.

I live in a area where Uverse is already deployed, but not turned on, what is up with that ?

You need to ask the Gadgetress

I've seen a couple of local VRADs which did not get electric meters for 6 months, or more. Apparently AT&T had to wait on PG&E to light up the boxes.

And i see several of them here in my area that have meters but no service running from them. Maybe ATT isn't wanting to serve the areas yet. Instead just getting approval and sitting on everything just to say "its coming soon"

I was out walking with my wife and saw the technicians working, and asked when it was going live, and he said it was live now, and went home and checked on line, and it said not available , power, meters and all, go figure

Uverse is not available at my location. Per the web site. I know where the VRAD is; adjacent to the cross connect which serves us. My best estimate is 4,000 wire feet to the box. AT&T will only service to 3,128 feet maximum.

I'm about 1200 + or -go figure, my town is divided between Verizon and Att, and I live in ATT part. The fastest DSL I can get is 3 meg, RR offers 5 meg, but I only need internet, as I have Dish which is very good right now.

Are those "wire feet"? I am closer to the VRAD by walking a direct route. However, I have walked that part of the F2 which is aerial, from my premises to the pole where it goes under ground. At that point I am a little farther than the direct walking route; but that route is going about 1,300 feet away from the VRAD.

walking, but I was being "generous" with the footage, I believe I am in the ball park though. Don't know what is the delay. I figure they don't have any real competition, would prefer fios, but will take the best I can get

"...he'd like to see FiOS adoption rates hit 40%..."

Try offering 5/2 FiOS Internet for $35 or less (not as an "intro" price). Or, more generally, offer people what they really want to buy instead of what you want them to buy. For everyone who wants that 50-100 mbps there are at least 10 who just want a fast-enough connection for a good price... and once they have that, then they might even get other products from you.

The way Verizon has been raising prices recently FiOS adoption rates will never hit 40%! Seidenberg might as well have said, No more expansion of FiOS!

I had FIOS about 2 years ago but I cannot bear getting a 45% rate increase after my 1 yr contract ended and signed up with Comcast. Now, Comcast just announced that they are doing another round of price increase so I signed up with DSL Extreme (FIOS reseller) for their 10/2 service for $39.95/month. Cheaper than any FIOS plan currently being offered for internet only service.

/rant

/piles on rant

I still can't believe I live 10 miles from the National Mall and I can't even get DSL, let alone FIOS.

The sad thing is, Alexandria COMCAST broadband is horrid, and Verizon would get scads of switchers.

Verizon laid fiber lines in dunedin, florida over a year ago, but we can't get fios. How about if verizon finshes what they started before looking for new locations

Nothing's changed in my part of BFE PW county since I posted this note at the beginning of the year:

»Verizon -- you're racing against yourself now

All that fiber hanging around, not making them any money...kinda like an airline that buys a new fleet, then leaves them parked at the gate while still flying the old birds. Oh well.

FiOS buildout is dying
Written by Dave Burstein
Seidenberg's on the way out and Verizon is changing. They have now cancelled planned FiOS deployments for all new territories such as Alexandria, Virginia. According to Bryant Ruiz Switzky in the WIvan and Daveashington Business Journal, Verizon is "suspending Fios franchise expansion nationwide." They are "indefinitely postponing" building Alexandria after telling the city they would begin construction several months ago. Alexandria is one of the richest suburbs in the world and a natural part of the network with a lower than average likely construction cost. Verizon "will now focus on installing its network and gaining market share within the areas where it already has agreements." Bostonians and 10M other Verizon customers are apparently screwed.

Verizon has buildout committments to New York and other cities that will keep some crews working, but had already suggested they might cut FiOS builds by 2/3rds in 2011. This is now a further cutback, cancelling areas that for years they had been promising to serve.

Ivan in an investor call suggested one reason they may be cutting their investment: the broadband plan and stimulus are reducing company spending. So Seidenberg suggested he might ask for government money, and the broadband plan has many "incentives" for him to spend less company money. Blair should take this as a signal to yank any offers to pay telcos to upgrade broadband where it already is available from cablecos or others. Smelling government money, they are cutting back their own investment and then demanding the government pay them instead. 2009 was almost certainly the worst year in a decade for expanding broadband in the U.S. Comany after company cancelled firm plans waiting for the government to pay them for what they intended to do without subsidy.

Over the last few years it's become apparent that Seidenberg's personal desire to beat the competition has been the primary reason the U.S. is not further behind. FiOS is the largest new network built in the Western world. Cable's DOCSIS 3.0 was developed as a response to FiOS. Brian Roberts of Comcast tells the story of looking Ivan in the eyes, deciding he was going ahead, and then giving orders to his team and Cablelabs to go full steam ahead on DOCSIS.

Euille said Alexandria citizens are clamoring for Fios and often dont understand why it isn't available. "I'm sure the citizens are just as disheartened by this outcome as I am" he said, adding that the city will look at alternatives.(Switzky) Alexandria can't afford for the neighboring towns to have better Internet service, so building their own network is the obvious step.

I just got FIOS 3 months ago, so looks like I just made.

No reason for Verizon to keep building out fiber:

little, no competition and they can raise rates whenever and however much they want. why should they spend capex on fiber expansion when they can slowly bleed legacy copper revenue while neglecting the copper infrastructure?

Pretty remarkable that Washington DC will get Fios before Alexandria does....

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· EjByBeDk

»www22.verizon.com/about/ ··· ion.html

Keep on building VZ! I want it!

I thought everybody thought Verizon was the best thing since white bread. I guess the party is over and now it is morning after. It is strange as great as Fios was touted on this forum that they have to work to get 40% in the areas it is deployed. I guess it is great until you have to pay the monthly bill.
Alexandria has gotten rich off government money they can affort to put in their own system. Verizon may find if they wait to long there want be many customers to service. In one of the areas of Vermont that Verizon dumped the towns are banding together and will build fiber to everybody that now has a power or teleco line to the residence. The systems should be like this one include all not just those up to the town limit.

FiOS is the best thing since Sliced Bread.

sliced bread is waaaaay overrated, fios isn't.

One thing I hate is Verizon's insistance that FIOS only be available in new developments in my city of Lancaster, CA. What is so wrong with wiring the entire city with FIOS? I'm totally blind so can't see any maps of where FIOS is available, but when I moved to East Lancaster, zip 93535, I was hopeful that I'd finally get the chance to experience FIOS. The first thing I did was check to see if it was available, and it was not. In fact, I only know 2 friends that live a block from one another that have FIOS in this valley! I don't even know where else one can be lucky enough to get FTTH service here! The DSL in my area is at best 2.5Mbps downstream, so for decently fast internet, time warner cable is my only option, and they can't even give the upload speed they claim to offer! It's real frustrating to know that next generation broad band internet services are available, if only Verizon would just wire everyone in their service areas! If I'm served by Verizon, I should be able to get FIOS, yet Verizon would rather turn down the chance to get new customers in areas that aren't quite the newest neighborhoods, at least in my case. I hope some day they'll realize that they can gain customers if they'd offer services to all their customers and not a very select few! OK I'm done ranting now. I'll go back to my slow DSL and my soso cable

Verizon has to continue expanding FiOS is the areas where they have committed themselves already. My towns franchise is 2 years old and supposedly my street is in the plans some time this year. They MUST make it available to EVERYONE in the town within 2 more years. It takes $$$ to do all this and unfortunately for some of you, they do have limits.

Money may not grow on trees but there seems to be no shortage of douchebag stock analysts like Craig Moffett who don't like any money spent on telecommunications improvements.

They have plenty of money. They'd rather just stockpile it and spend it all on content companies.

Verizon has installed FIOS in in my city( southern Cali), but because I live in a less dense neighborhood, they passed us by. No fios for us. Doesn't look like it will be here any time soon.

finish the areas they started.

They have laid MILES and MILES of FiOS cable along State highways and main roads in this area (parts of Vineland, and all of Millville), but they have not actually lit up service and installed anyone.

In fact, we live on a dead-end road and the main road next to ours (which would serve our street) has had FiOS cable hanging there for over a year.. No progress..

You waste all that money running fiber, but you don't actually run it down residential streets and provide service? Wonder why you don't have more uptake!

I have noticed a lot of people claiming that FiOS was placed in the town, but not turn on. There is a crazy reason for this... The town next door was thought more profitable and its cheaper to pass the ways through something, then around something.

I would love for FIOS or similar to come to my part of north-west Houston. All we have is ATT DSL/U-Verse and Comcast. : /

»tinyurl.com/yaufjxz

The link is an article to the Washington Examiner in the week. Alexandria is proposing submitting a bid to become a Google Fiber test city.

yes alex is putting its hopes on the google fiber rfi now [»www.google.com/appserve/ ··· options] .. not very promising imo (even after i submitted my own plea to google) , but an interesting idea nonetheless.. Alex would be the ideal test bed to demonstrate to the fcc that vz is spouting bs 50% of the time .. or more. agree muni fiber is the way to go .. but that smacks of Socialism

because I was tired of Verizon DSL 3mbps or whatever and wanted actual faster internet. Arlington has FiOS and I got it and absolutely LOVE IT.

DC is supposed to get FiOS but the dates I kept hearing keep getting further and further pushed back. Several apartment managers told me they would have FiOS installing around Feb....then March....then July...now maybe November? I gave up

I agree with the poster who wishes the city would build their own fiber network. Hell, just threaten it. Would be quite funny to see Verizon suddenly do a 180 with FiOS in the city