[Dclug] FIOS

[Larry Howe]

Phil,

Not trying to be a stick-in-the-mud here, but are you sure you want to
use the words "participatory", "free", "commons", and "collaborative" in
the same email with "verizon"? As I see it the history of verizon is:

- Inherits PSTN network from AT&T.
- FCC mandates sharing of PSTN at competitive prices so that people can
get DSL from multiple providers.
- Verizon ignores FCC regulations, prevents virtually all DSL
installations for 2+ years.
- FCC gives up, allows verizon to determine rates for PSTN access.
- Verizon sets rates to price all DSL competitors out of the market.
- When Philadelphia sets up a free community wifi network, verizon gets
a law passed that makes it illegal for any community in the state of
Pennsylvania to set up a free wifi network.
- Uses profits from PSTN monopoly to build a network that no one else
can rival (FIOS).
- Begins dismantling PSTN. As a condition of getting FIOS, customers
must agree to have the PSTN connection to their location "permanently
disabled". When verizon installs FIOS, they physically remove the PSTN
connection. This affects not only the current occupant but all future
occupants / owners as well. 

And my prediction for where we go from here:

- Over time PSTN will become unavailable in this area.

- If anyone does insist on a PSTN connection, verizon will charge a
prohibitive fee to reinstall it.

- For the next 20 - 100 years, or until fiber-optic becomes obsolete,
your choice of providers for telecom will be 1) verizon, 2) comcast, and
3) anyone else who can afford to build their own profitable regional
network (i.e. nobody).

- Once enough people have switched to FIOS, verizon will jack up the
price.

- If anyone else does try to build another network, verizon will just
cut their prices for a few years and drive the competitor out of
business. Then they'll jack up their price again.

- Customer service will not get any better.

This situation rubs me the wrong way. Do folks agree or, am I
misperceiving things?

Larry Howe

On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 13:54 -0400, Phil Shapiro wrote:
> hi friends and colleagues,
> 
>      last week the apartment complex where i live in p.g. county sent a letter
> saying that starting in january the only internet access available to residents
> will be via comcast.  that's reason enough for me to move.
> 
>       so i'm looking to form a new house (or apartment) at a location with
> verizon fios. fios offers 20 Mbps symmetrical internet access for $65/month --
> and this speed will be increasing by a factor of 5 within a year or two when
> verizon upgrades to GPON fios service.
> 
>        my preference is to stay in maryland, but i'm open to the idea of moving
> back to northern virginia.
> 
>         my hope is to find 2, 3 or 4 persons who have the following character
> traits -
> 
> 1. currently have a stable job
> 2. are passionate about how digital technologies
> are creating a participatory future for everyone
> 3. care about free software
> 4. care about the creative commons
> 5. love exploring collaborative digital tools
> 
>           if you think you might want to live in such a household (or shared
> apartment), thanks for sending me an email off-list. this household might form
> january 1, feb 1, or when my current lease expires on april 1, 2008.
> 
>            you can learn a bit more about me from the brief bio link in my sig
> file below.  see also this book review i recently wrote for PCWorld.com.
> http://tinyurl.com/23m9do
> 
>                phil