verizons land line service is in the dumps

[simple_gifts]

Verizon got into a heap of controversy after Hurricane Sandy by refusing to repair some of the damaged copper infrastructure in parts of Long Island. Instead they pushed wireless plans to the customers. They apparently are trying to escape the regulations of the wired network, plus also abandon an infrastructure fewer and fewer people rely on.

http://arstechnica.com/information-techn...one-says-ny-ag/

I believe in Haiti, much the same approach was done after the earthquake. Wireless is far more easily recovered in the event of a catastrophe.

 

[antiqueshell]

With all the taxpayer money ATT/ Verizon and others have received over the years (it is a LOT) they should be bound to at least transition over to fiber . Cell and wireless is outrageously expensive and offers spotty service at best. Wireless is NOT and will never be a suitable replacement for wired lines.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Cell service does not make her computer work


And a computer working is not life essential. Phone still works then?
nope. No dial tone

 

[supton]

Hmm, dilemma:

In the past the phone was one of the last things to die. Sit out a bad storm, and usually the phone worked. No matter what it seemed. It was a comfort. Call up a friend if need be--or worse, EMS if an emergency happened.

Now to have a battery in the unit that offers 12+ hours, which is (as alleged above) about how long the (station? router? whatever hub feeds the 'burb) lasts is not exactly comforting. We (and by we I mean others) have seen cell systems get overloaded and go down, maybe not in storms but certainly during times of high usage. In my area cells are spotty. I have friends who just turn 'em off when they get a few miles from home, as coverage drops out around then. I have coverage, depending upon the time of year.

I'm still young, and this country used to have this "rugged individualism" ideal. At first glance I want to be outraged at loss of such a dedicated and reliable system. Perhaps I have no right to be? Perhaps I should funnel such frustration into other things, such as a generator and close friends?

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: supton


I'm still young, and this country used to have this "rugged individualism" ideal. At first glance I want to be outraged at loss of such a dedicated and reliable system. Perhaps I have no right to be? Perhaps I should funnel such frustration into other things, such as a generator and close friends?


And to think we had this amazingly reliable wired phone system way back when, when we think of the rugged self sufficient individualism back in the 40s and 50s....and nobody questioned the logic of it. Because it was in the national interest and the
general welfare of the citizenry to have such a communications system. Yes, the taxpayer funded it in large part as well but it benefited nearly all citizens in the entire country. Now those same companies that gladly took the taxpayer money to help them become more profitable, and they also agreed to help connect the country and make communication more efficient and reliable for all citizens is reneging on that contractural agreement with the taxpayer. If that is what they want then they need to repay all funding given to them over the years otherwise they need to snap out of their greed and start making more plans to upgrade the wired infrastructure to fiber.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
The phone at my moms house went out last wednesday. She reported it out thurs morning. They did a test and said they would be out by 2p. Didnt show up. Called again at 530 and they said they would be out by 10p. Didnt show. Called friday about 2p. They said out to fix it by 10p.

Now its saturday. I called at 3p and they said 8p tonight. I guess they are too busy with cell service to bother with land lines.

I'd suggest filing a complaint with your states Public Utility Commission. I've called on them a time or two when ATT was unresponsive to my calls. The next day I had multiple calls from ATT, asking how they can help! Go figure.

 

[DBMaster]

Do a search on the end of FiOS expansion. Verizon is not planning to expand the fiber beyond its current contractual obligations. That means that most areas that do not have the fiber aren't going to get it anytime in the near term.

My backup battery died over a year ago. Since I have internet only it makes little difference and there is no reason for me to replace the battery (a small lead/acid battery like the ones used in security systems).

 

[HM12460]

What the heck is FiOS??

 

[DBMaster]

Verizon's fiber optic service. They actually ran fiber optic cables underground in the alleys in my neighborhood around 2005. It is technically referred to as "fiber to the premises" which means fiber optic cables right to your house. I have the option to have phone, internet, and TV service. I only have internet at present with minimum speeds of 15/5. I find the TV services too expensive and I do not have a land line at all.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Cell service does not make her computer work


And a computer working is not life essential. Phone still works then?
nope. No dial tone


Then definitely throw the book at them. I'm assuming there is no fios in the neighborhood?

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
Originally Posted By: supton
When they convert us to fiber will the router/box/whatever on the wall be battery backed? Or should I be thinking about a nice UPS system for my house?

Ours has a little sealed lead acid battery, the type used for alarm systems. It got used during hurricane Sandy, last year. It lasted 12+ hours.


My experience was that the battery backup was useless (network was also down) except that the battery is 12V. This means that it can be used to charge cell phones. This one battery kept 3 cell phones charged for the three days waiting for the cell networks to come back up.

 

[Chris142]

Verizon finally sent a guy out. He said the problem was about a mile away. He said basically that Verizon dont care as they are trying to get everybody switched over to fios. And like i thought the upper management at verizon dont understand or care that fios is not available where i live. He said to dump the land line and get the internet through our satelite tv company.he said next time the line breaks it may not get repaired.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
he said next time the line breaks it may not get repaired.


Tell him to put it in writing.

Sounds like you like copper, you're going to keep using copper, so long as the PUC says they're going to supply copper.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Chris142
he said next time the line breaks it may not get repaired.


Tell him to put it in writing.

Sounds like you like copper, you're going to keep using copper, so long as the PUC says they're going to supply copper.
He won't put it writing. He was giving you practical advice on how to deal with the situation. Your beef isn't with the repairman, it is with the people who dispatched him. He is fixing your trouble and giving you good advice. You should treat him kindly. Nothing good will come from hassling a repair guy.