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AARP Attacks Verizon's NJ Removal of DSL, Landlines

Verizon has been taking a hammering of late for their decision to tell Sandy victims, a year after the storm, that they will never see their POTS and DSL lines repaired. Instead, Verizon foisted a wireless service called Voice Link upon those customers, a service that didn't include data, suffered from numerous feature shortcomings, and generally wasn't much of a replacement for DSL and POTS whatsoever.

In New York, Verizon received a wrist slap from New York's PSC and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for hanging up on storm victims and in the process violating an order by the PSC. In New Jersey, the AARP is trying to impose a one year ban on Verizon doing the same thing in some Sandy-hit neighborhoods:

quote:
AARP New Jersey has been seeking to block the change, arguing that the wireless phone option doesn't work with many medical monitoring devices, security devices or sometimes even 911. It supports a bill that would impose a one-year moratorium on the replacement of copper networks and require the Board of Public Utilities to study the issue.

Its chief utilities advocate, Ken Lindhorst, said the company must provide basic telephone service because it inherited the phone infrastructure originally built in the state in the 1930s and can't make a switch to Voice Link without approval from the Board of Public Utilities.

"The question before our public officials is: Are we going to operate in New Jersey under the rule of law or under Verizon's rules?" Lindhorst said.


Generally speaking, most states tend to follow Verizon's rules. That was demonstrated rather clearly recently in New Jersey when Verizon was allowed to simply walk away from an agreement that gave them millions in subsidies and tax breaks in exchange for even deployment of 45 Mbps fiber broadband.

The deployment never happened, mirroring similar slight of hand Verizon successfully conducted in Pennsylvania years earlier. Now Verizon's looking to walk away from DSL and POTS customers using infrastructure Verizon was paid billions in subsidies to build and maintain, and only a handful of politicians seem concerned in the slightest.

Most recommended from 52 comments



Flyonthewall
@206.248.154.x

5 recommendations

Flyonthewall

Anon

If someone did not receive medical care when required and ..

Because they never fixed the issue, a death resulted, someone should be going to jail for depraved indifference due to negligence. Since corporations are now people thanks to some stupid lobbying, the company breaks the law, but who do you lock up? There is no physical body to punish and restrict, which is why making corporations equal to people was so stupid. Money talks, and brains walk. I suppose if it really came down to it, you could punish the law makers for not enforcing the law, which would put the state on the dock.

Kuro
@75.151.50.x

4 recommendations

Kuro

Anon

Hurt Grandma

Funny how the company said a month ago that Net Neutrality could kill grandma is weaseling out of providing internet to grandma.

»Verizon: Net Neutrality Hurts Disabled People

Zenit_IIfx
The system is the solution
Premium Member
join:2012-05-07
Purcellville, VA
·Comcast XFINITY

4 recommendations

Zenit_IIfx

Premium Member

-verizon hand rubbing-

You can hear it from miles away!

VZ really is disinterested in being a telecom provider. They weasel out of every type of regulation or agreement imaginable. In VA they gutted the carrier of last resort laws, which will mean that for the first time since Ma Bell adopted Universal Service in 1907 that the telephone company has thrown in the towel and decided some people don't deserve communications.

Under the COLR regulation in VA, VZ was actually building FIOS. When a new subdivision would show up in a semi-rural area where no copper facilities existed, or the facilities were too small to handle the new load, VZ would deploy FIOS. Its part of how the state got some very tiny FIOS pockets scattered about in the VZ footprint outside of Fairfax/Loudoun/Richmond Area/VA Beach. Its disgusting how much of their network is totally abandoned copper with no broadband whatsoever, not even ISDN.

Today? Oh have 4G LTE its great, we love the money -er- we mean you will love the service.

I want to see VZ split up. VZW totally on its own from the Bell Atlantic/GTE operating companies. Its totally screwing everything up. McAdam has to go.

Current day VZ deserves an award for "Most urban focused ILEC" as well as "America's laziest ILEC" from the perspective of service expansion.
rfrooney
join:2006-02-26
Antioch, TN

3 recommendations

rfrooney

Member

I'll say it again...

America has the best politicians money can buy.

xNPC
As Usual, Have Nice Day
Premium Member
join:2000-11-08
Errington, BC

3 recommendations

xNPC

Premium Member

BAU for verizon

this is just business as usual. they screw everyone they come in contact with.