back to article Verizon only cares about fiber, lets copper nets lapse into ruin – gripes

Verizon is taking heat in two US states over reports its cable lines have become dangerously neglected. Officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are investigating complaints that the copper lines serving Verizon's DSL and phone services are posing a safety hazard as the wiring, poles and boxes under Verizon's care have not …

  1. Eddy Ito

    Isn't this par for the course for Verizon? Let an area degrade, find a sucker to buy it and profit.

    1. Fatman
      Joke

      "Par for the course"

      <quote>Isn't this par for the course for Verizon? Let an area degrade, find a sucker to buy it and profit.</quote>

      Like THIS ONE:

      http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20150206/NEWS01/150209942/frontier-inks-1054b-deal-for-verizon-wireline-assets

      From the linked article:

      <quote>Frontier said it expects to reduce operational costs by $525 million in the first year, and by $700 million in the third year because Verizon has higher overhead costs.</quote>

      Note emphasis mine

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Verizon, ignoring copper?

    NO, REALLY??!!

    http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2015/03/19/fcc_to_verizon_blocking_911_calls_thats_a_paddlin/#c_2490857

    http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2015/10/20/fcc_probes_att_and_verizon/#c_2670760

    http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2016/01/14/jetblue_blames_verizon_data_center_crash/#c_2747248

    You know, I would have never guessed! Quite a shocker.

    [/s x 1e6]

  3. Stevie

    Bah!

    At least Cablevision were honest when they told me they were no longer supporting copper and would have to put up a codec device in my house so my landline would work again.

    Naturally this consumes electricity at my cost ...

    1. Jon B

      Re: Bah!

      My GPON fibre terminal consumes a bit of electricity at my place, is not too bad a deal.

  4. Mark 85

    So next up will be a plea from Verizon for government money fix the infrastructure? We all know how this would turn out. Bonuses and profit but little actual work done.

    1. Snake Silver badge

      Verizon's accused criminality

      "So next up will be a plea from Verizon for government money fix the infrastructure?"

      You forgot: Verizon already got paid by the government to work on the infrastructure and then failed to follow through. Look up NYC's Verizon FiOS performance, such as

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-kushnick/did-verizon-ny-with-help_b_7800816.html

      et al, including many additional stories such as

      http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/01/fcc-urged-to-investigate-verizons-two-faced-statements-on-utility-rules/

      and

      http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/06/verizon-ordered-to-finish-fiber-build-that-it-promised-but-didnt-deliver/

      to discover the history.

      NYPSC and Verizon signed an agreement that granted Verizon a series of rate increases under the promise that the rate increases would allow Verizon to implement FiOS across the city. Verizon got their rate increases but failed to meet the promised FiOS implementation goals, by a very significant amount, so New York has started an investigation.

      If you note, the ArsTechnica article regarding NYC attempting to force Verizon's performance is dated June 2015, and quite specifically states, quote:

      "Verizon also failed to meet broadband promises in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but those states let the company off the hook."

      So, from this ElReg story, we can say to ourselves, regarding that last quote, "Not anymore!"

      An additional internet search comes up with a very interesting article from yesterday, 22 February:

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-kushnick/new-reports-expose-verizo_b_9287970.html

      It appears that Verizon has been cooking the books: Verizon is being accused of moving costs off the wireless and FiOS ledgers and on to the legacy land system in order to make the landlines appear as "money losers" to the regulators, so that said regulators grant landline rate increases whenever Verizon has asked for them.

      And, if found guilty of all these charges, do you know what will happen? NOTHING. Verizon will get a typical, corporate 'slap on the wrist', no human individuals will be found guilty or at least culpable for these deceptions and maybe outright frauds, and Verizon will go on as if nothing serious has ever happened.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Verizon's accused criminality

        Well.. yeah. Forgot. So now they'll be asking for more money.

  5. Jeffrey Nonken

    "Hello," the telco rep lied.

  6. leexgx

    the problem is that the places where ADSL/copper lines are been ignored to really degraded state, is where people Can't get fibre

    so they need to repair the copper network so it does not brake on cold damp or rainy days or replace it with fibre (they can't just ignore it because they have the monopoly in that area) they should get Fined for not fixing reported issues Properly within 30 days for major work

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This reeks of a labor complaint or more succinctly a plea for Verizon to add more union members. Obviously if a customer was without service because cables were laying on the ground or distribution boxes were all smashed etc (like the pics from ARS) there wouldn't need to be a PUC complaint from the union.

    These pics look, to me, like abandoned facilities that should be cleaned up/removed rather than working facilities serving customers.

    1. Peter Simpson 1

      Verizon sees no future for the copper plant, and, except for the fact that they are legally required to maintain it, wish it would disappear. So, it's not being maintained. Verizon will claim it doesn't have enough money, time or people to keep it in working order, and that it is degrading.

      I know, because they played this little game in my suburban town of 15000 people, filed for permission to abandon their copper plant (which was granted by the state Public Utilities Commission) and informed me that my copper line would be disconnected come March. I was advised to schedule an installation date for fiber (which, not coincidentally, can deliver the high profit FIOS multimedia and networking services). So, with no option to keep copper, I now have fiber. Which, needless to say, does not work if the power goes out.

      Let me hasten to add, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the copper plant in Holliston, Massachusetts. Except that it cannot provide broadband services. Since I moved in 35 years ago, we have had zero problems with our copper landline. It has been as reliable as one would expect, given the careful system design from Bell Labs.

      It's all about money and competing with Comcast, at least in the high population density areas. The rest of you are "F"'ed.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The rest of you are F'ed

        Simple: leave Verizon and tell them to royally stuff off. We switched to TWC and I constantly receive mailing offers to switch back to Verizon, to which I laugh in their face (and did, too, when a representative came around trying to sell me their service).

        1. Me19713
          Devil

          Re: The rest of you are F'ed

          You're nicer than I am. My property is posted No Solicitors.

          I slammed the door, called the cops, and went with them to the magistrate where I swore out a complaint. If wasn't much of a fine, but it did keep them off the street for an evening and my neighbors got to eat dinner in peace.

          I also got a no contact order against Verizon. If any of their devil spawn grace my door, they'll be dealing with a contempt of court citation.

      2. thejynxed

        When dealing with FIOS (and most other types of FTTH installations), you'll have to look into having a battery backup system added in so that when the power goes out your connection stays lit. They don't volunteer this information to you of course, you have to ask Verizon about it.

        As an aside to the other poster on down the line who questioned the legitimacy of the state over Verizon's infrastructure - I live in rural PA and can attest that yes, Verizon does let it get this bad. When my wife and I still had a landline we couldn't even rely on it in case of emergency, that's how bad they've let the copper lines go. It's a sad testament when you have to rely on cell phones for even 911 calling due to the intentional neglect of a multi-billion dollar company.

  8. User McUser
    Joke

    Verizon's Official Response

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgUN_95UAw

    "You see, this phone system consists of a multibillion-dollar matrix of space age technology that is so sophisticated -- even we can't handle it. But that's your problem, isn't it? So, the next time you complain about your phone service, why don't you try using two Dixie cups with a string? We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."

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