Stop Verizon’s Wireless Voice Link
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Starting in 2010, The Wall Street Journal reported that Verizon was going to stop their roll out of FiOS, And in 2011, DSL Reports reported that AT&T was not going to be expanding its U-Verse broadband/TV service. By 2012 Lowell Mc Adams, CEO of Verizon :stated that Verizon would “kill the copper.” and in rural areas the customers would be given wireless and “so we are going to cut the copper off there”. AT&T announced in 2012, that they, too, had no plans to upgrade their existing footprint. Thus, 50% of their territories will never get cable TV competition, and AT&T and Verizon customers will have their copper turned off and be put onto wireless.
At the same time, AT&T and Verizon have been pursuing a massive state and federal campaign to close down all regulations and obligations, like ‘carrier of last resort’ which would eliminate any requirements to fix services if they break – or even provide service. With a group called ALEC, they have gotten 25 states to rewrite basic protections and have got the FCC to create a group to ‘sunset the networks and more recently a ‘Transition Task Force” to ‘close down the PSTN, the copper utility networks.
Sandy & Voice Link
In 2012, a storm named Sandy hit the East Coast and true to their word, Verizon, instead of putting customers back into service after an emergency simply said — tough. Areas of New York City, including Manhattan, or the Rockaways, had customers without service for over 6 months.
Verizon filed a wavier to not have to fix the Sandy-damaged locations and after some wangling, signed an agreement with the New York State Department of Public Service, claiming it would do a limited test in the Western part of Fire Island of Voice Link, a wireless box that is based on pre-smart phone cell service and can’t do basic data applications.
And on Fire Island and New York State, this has caused a firestorm: Moreover, the New York State Attorney General’s Office has found that Verizon has violated this state agreement.
- New York State asked for comments and to date over 375 people have filed — and the comment period has been extended to September 2013. People are pissed.
- Stop the Cap:N.Y. PSC Grants Limited Approval of Verizon Voice Link on Fire Island; Promises Further Study
- The FCC Asks for Public Input Sought on Verizon Services Affected by Hurricane Sandy
- APPLICATION OF VERIZON NEW JERSEY INC. AND VERIZON NEW YORK INC. TO DISCONTINUE DOMESTIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
- Forbes: New York Attorney General Slams Verizon For Degrading Service To Customers, Requests Fines Of $100,000 Per Day — It was found that Verizon isn’t’ simply using Voice Link for Fire Island but in other places in New York City and upstate.
- The New York Attorney General has also filed to remove Verizon’s franchise to offer phone service in the state.
- Washington Post: Verizon pursues all-wireless phone service in seaside N.Y. town
We summarized some of these actions here:
- Fire Island Erupts Over Verizon’s Wireless Voice Link: New York AG Claims Verizon Violated Agreement
- Verizon’s Wireless ‘Voice Link’ as a Replacement of the Wires? The Downgrading and Disconnecting of America’s Communications Networks
Would it have been okay if the VL system supported fax and modem calls and supported data? Or do you think fundamentally we need copper connections to each house?