Verizon Strips Copper: No Turning back, Not much choice

Bunnie Riedel writes:

Why is the story below important? This is something I've been hearing about
for two years. Verizon has been stripping copper wire out of houses where
it installs FiOS fiber. That means any land-line phone capability is being
stripped out.

Why are land-line phones important? When the power goes out, land-line
phones will still work. However, cable phone, verizon or at&t phone have a
limited back up battery (4 hours or so). This is a big deal for folks in FL
communities where hurricanes can knock out power and cell phone towers.
Additionally we are hearing that if a consumer wants to go back to a
land-line phone they are having to pay to reconnect the copper from the curb
to their house.

Verizon is primarily doing this so they don't have to lease their lines to
competiting phone or video service providers. The implications are huge if
you consider that it took about 100 years to build the telephony
infrastructure in this country, wiring coast to coast.

If you get Verizon service or your local equivalent insist that they not
pull out the copper wire. Also, I think it's time we get language into
franchise agreements that prevent Verizon and others from stripping out the
copper.

INTERNET/BROADBAND
VERIZON'S COPPER CUTOFF TRAPS CONSUMERS

[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Deborah Yao] Verizon's new
high-bandwidth, FiOS fiber lines are fully capable of carrying not only
telephone calls but also Internet data and television channels with room to
grow. But once the old copper line that once provided plain old telephone
service is pulled, it's difficult to switch back to the traditional phone
system or less expensive Digital Subscriber Line service.

And Verizon isn't required, in most instances, to lease fiber to rival phone
companies, as it is with the copper infrastructure. As it hooks up homes and
businesses to its fiber network, Verizon has been routinely disconnecting
the copper and, many subscribers say, not telling them upfront or giving
them a choice. More than 1 million customers have signed up for a FiOS
service, which is offered mainly in the suburban areas of 16 states. Verizon
spokesman Eric Rabe said customers should have been notified at least three
times - once by the sales representative when FiOS is ordered, by the
technician before copper is cut, and through paperwork given to the
customer. Some customers say that hasn't happened.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/08/ap3892179.html

* Cutting the Copper Means Less Competition for Verizon, Fewer Choices for
Consumers
http://www.consumersunion.org/blogs/hun/2007/07/cutting_the_copper_means_les
s.html

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