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Re: [PLUG] Verizon bureaucracy gone wild
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On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:32 AM, Doug Crompton <doug@crompton.com> wrote:
> While this indeed is extremely stupid it does not get to the point of what
> bundling and non competition have done to high speed internet. In many
> areas FIOS is, or will be, the only practical option. The question is why
> does anyone need verizon phone service period! But FIOS, I think, requires
> phone service as a minimum, locking you into a rate structure, or at least
> a future rate structure, that is ridiculous compared to the alternatives.
>
> Many people have totally dropped home wired phone service to use just a
> wireless service and there are some great bluetooth interfces available. I
> recently purchase a home in Cape May and do not have phone service there.
> I bought a GE wireless phone box ($65) the will link with up to 2
> cellphones and function like a normal home phone system with up to 7
> remotes. It comes with one remote. So it is not so hard to dump your wired
> service if you want. I also find DirectTV to be great and have no need for
> any wired TV service.
Free-to-Air (FTA) satellite is surprisingly good, and most importantly
_free_ after you buy the hardware and set it up.
However, as cool as 3G Routers / StompBox / Junxion boxes are, the
problem I've seen with using mobile phone data plans is that they have
a really low transfer cap for their so-called "unlimited" plans. Many
are about 1GB/month, and at best you'll get maybe 10GB/month.
But I use FiOS to transfer over a TB/month, so mostly I've considered
a 3G router for the backup line in a dual-WAN configuration. (Since
current 3G routers seem to just be USB radio dongles plugged into a
router rather than a laptop, I'm waiting to see DD-WRT support this
for routers such as the Asus WL-500gP).
> Hopefully the new administration will make this a priority. Everyone
> should have the ability to have high speed internet without the cumbrance
> of any other service.
If you're truly interested in this, actively participate in the Open
Spectrum movement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_spectrum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_radio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_defined_radio
http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2003/03/12/spectrum/
> Write your Congressmen!!!!
>
> Doug
>
>
> On Thu, 12 Feb 2009, JP Vossen wrote:
>
>> > Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:39:23 -0500 (EST)
>> > From: "Bill Hance" <bill@billhance.com>
>> >
>> > My recently installed FiOS is considered Business FiOS due to the static
>> > IP addresses. I've noticed that my phone and TV appear to be billed at
>> > a slightly higher business rate, rather than the residential rate. I
>> > gave them a call, and... you would not believe their answer to this
>> > billing problem. Their solution is to run a 2nd FiOS line from the
>> > street to my house, install a 2nd FiOS ONT box on the wall in my
>> > basement, and then get the TV and phone from this new line, which would
>> > have residential billing.
>> >
>> > They are unable to provide residential billing on the same fiber that
>> > has static IP!
>>
>> My understanding of this extreme stupidity is that residential and
>> business are two totally different Verizon business units, and nothing
>> is/can be shared. Typical large company inefficiency and vast stupidity.
>>
>>
>> The Verizon thing that bugs the heck out of me is that I have
>> residential FiOS, but not phone or TV. So several times per *week* I
>> get various junk mail from them either asking me to come back to FiOS (I
>> never left) or to sign up for their triple-play thing, which I will
>> never do. (Aside from the fact that I don't trust them, I strongly
>> believe that putting too many eggs in one basket is a really bad idea
>> from a vendor lock-in perspective, among others. Another one is that
>> I'd never get hosting from my domain name registrar, or vice versa.)
>>
>> I've called a few times to try and get them to stop wasting money and
>> paper on me, but they claim I have to have phone service before the
>> screen where they can turn that crap off will come up. WTH?!?
>>
>> If anyone has an idea how to make this stop, I'd appreciate it. I've
>> considered a USPS1500 "Prohibitory Order" form [1], but I'm afraid
>> exceedingly stupid companies (e.g. Verizon or Comcast) would screw it up
>> and sever all correspondence and relationship, and I like my FiOS...
>>
>> Later,
>> JP
>>
>
> ****************************
> * Doug Crompton *
> * Richboro, PA 18954 *
> * 215-431-6307 *
> * *
> * doug@crompton.com *
> * http://www.crompton.com *
> ****************************
>
>
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