[nylug-talk] Covad? (was FIOS...)

[Ron Guerin]

Peter C. Norton wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 13, 2007 at 11:09:44AM -0400, Carl Friedberg wrote:
>> I now have a $xxx T1 and when the line goes down, Verizon is 
>> there in an hour or two. I also have a backup which comes in
>> automatically when the T1 fails. You get what you pay for.
>>
>> FIOS is not an option in my building at this time.
>>

> You were just having the "verizon likes to screw their
> competition"-itis.

I have to admit, I haven't had a Verizon field tech be as incompetent as
the hodge-podge of people the ILECs have fielded.  Then again, all the
really bad scenes I witnessed took place during The Bubble, when nobody
was prevented from being employed by mere gross incompetence.

But in the vein of your comments, when I lived in Port Jefferson, the
day my DSL line (Speakeasy/Covad) was to be turned on, I got a call
while I was standing outside watching the Verizon guy finishing up.  It
was Verizon, calling to tell me that there were no available circuits
for my DSL service.  I said something along the lines of "Well, lucky
for me, you forgot to tell your installer that, because he just finished
putting it in."  I had that service about 5 years, and if it was ever
down other than for scheduled maintenance and the situation downtown in
September 2001, I can't remember it, so it couldn't have been too bad.

> What you had happen with the DSL line is what I've experienced at
> every small operation with an internet conenction whether it was xdsl,
> sdsl, FR, ATM, T1, or T3.

It sucks to be far downline when there is a problem with the service.  I
 reach for the aspirin anytime there's a line problem, you're a ticket
in your ISP's system, which refers to a ticket in the ILEC's system,
which refers to a ticket in Verizon's system.  Woe.

- Ron