Verizon Workers Say Telco Neglecting Copper – NY union workers mirror complaints in other states…

20 Jan 2009

While Verizon is praised for embracing FTTH, the telco has also repeatedly come under fire for neglecting copper infrastructure, union workers in several states saying that necessary resources needed to support DSL and landline networks are no longer available. Workers say that preventative maintenance programs have been abandoned, and they’re being asked to implement band-aid repairs — which are meant to be temporary but are left permanently. We’ve seen these complaints in Virginia and Florida, but this week finds union workers complaining in New York City as well. From the New York Daily News:

…union officials said that Verizon foremen regularly instruct workers in the field to splice faulty copper lines instead of replacing them – cutting costs but sacrificing quality. The patched-up lines often go out of service just days later due to rain, snow or heavy winds – creating headaches for customers – but Verizon keeps instructing workers to splice instead of replace, union leaders said.

Verizon has promised to wire all of New York City with FiOS by 2014, and denies they’re neglecting their legacy infrastructure. In states like Virginia and Florida, customer service complaints have risen, and state regulators claim Verizon’s neglect of aging infrastructure is a major reason why.
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