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Pennsylvania Broadband Bait
& Switch.
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Summary:
Liberty
Bell Stolen: The Pennsylvania Broadband Bait and Switch.
You
would think that in the Commonwealth where the Declaration of Independence
was signed, the state regulators/fathers would be against tyranny
of a monopoly trying to snooker, unfairly tax and harm its citizens.
Instead
of the Liberty Bell ringing in the Keystone state, we now hear the
sound of the Liberty-Bell-disconnect and the Bell, in this case,
is Verizon.
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| 1. |
In 1994,
Verizon committed to a fiber-optic network to customers homes with
speeds of 45 mps, in both directions--- and never delivered. This
is 40 times faster than ADSL
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| 2. |
By
2004, Verizon was supposed to have rewired 50% of the state in both
rural, suburban and Urban areas equally with a fiber-optic to the
home wire. Instead, DSL goes over the 100-year-old-copper wiring. |
| 3. |
Fraud
--- At the end of 2002, we estimate customers paid $785 per customer.
In 2003, we estimate that customers will pay an additional $175, for
a total of $960. per household. |
| 4. |
State
laws were changed to give the phone company more money. This
change went from a "Rate-of-Return" that examined profits
to an "Alternate Regulation" (Deregulation) that only
examined the price of Service.
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| 5. |
From
2000-2002, there was a 71% drop in Capital Expenditures, and since
the Alternate Regulation went into effect in 1993, there has been
a 42% drop in employees -- 6,340 employees were let go.
Instead,
the money is going to increase Verizon PA Dividends, which went
up 32% from 2000-2002.
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| 6. |
Excessive
Tax Savings -- Verizon wrote-off over $1 billion stating they
were replacing the old copper with new fiber --- they never did
it
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| 7. |
Illegal
Cross-Subsidies -- Customers are illegally being charged for
the Verizon's rollout of DSL.
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More Reading |
| 2 |
Liberty
Bell Stolen . Here's a decision by the Public Utility Commission
to NOT hold Verizon accountable for a fiber-optic Future. |
| 3. |
Chairman
Fitzpatrick Stands Up for Customers. The PUC Chairman points
out that a 45MPS service was promised, and paid for by Customers,
not DSL. |
| 4 |
Letter
by the Pennsylvania Advocate about Rate Increases of HB30.
This proposed bill will raise your phonerates and not deliver Broadband.
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