Replacing Copper With Fiber, er, FiOS (was Re: Muni Fiber and Politics)

Tue Jul 22 01:53:36 UTC 2014

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rich Kulawiec" <rsk at gsp.org>

> That's the problem. Copper plant is clearly not the optimal solution
> for data communication, but when you really NEED a voice call to go
> through -- say, when a major hurricane moves up the coast, taking out
> all kinds of infrastructure as it goes -- it gives you the best chance.
> And if that phone call's content is something like "the water is rising,
> we need to be evac'd NOW", then you'd probably want that best chance.
> 
> Well, if it's as well-maintained as it once was. Say what you want
> about the old Ma Bell, but they overengineered the hell out of
> everything from CO's to handsets, and that effort saved lives.

I have seen footage of a 308 rifle bullet going through the network of a
500 phone... which continued working.

> Verizon Tells Some Sandy Victims They'll Never Get DSL Back As Company
> Continues Push Toward Killing Off Copper
> http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Tells-Some-Sandy-Victims-Theyll-Never-Get-DSL-Back-123612

> Public Service Commission Orders Verizon To Cough Up Cost Data On Its
> New York Copper Lines
> https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131209/13575325508/public-service-commission-orders-verizon-to-cough-up-cost-data-its-new-york-copper-lines.shtml
> 
> Verizon Responds To Freedom Of Information Request With Hundred Of
> Fully Redacted Pages
> https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131030/16250525075/verizon-responds-to-freedom-information-request-with-hundred-fully-redacted-pages.shtml

There's a messier problem here, that I don't see much coverage of (so 
perhaps I heard it wrong):

Is not Verizon trying to replace *regulated* ILEC copper with 
*unregulated* FiOS VoF?

Isn't that pulling a pretty fast one?

This came up in the "when we install FiOS, we're physically removing
all your copper demarcs (even if they have active calls on them)" thing,
too, but still not much outrage.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                  Baylink                       jra at baylink.com
Designer                     The Things I Think                       RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates       http://www.bcp38.info          2000 Land Rover DII
St Petersburg FL USA      BCP38: Ask For It By Name!           +1 727 647 1274