by Karl Bode
Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey have similar experiences with Verizon. Both states threw millions in tax breaks and subsidies at the telco in exchange for Verizon's promise that it would wire the entire states with fiber. But when Verizon balked at its obligation, both states, inundated with Verizon campaign contributions, just pretended Verizon had done nothing wrong. Years later, with aging DSL and phone networks falling into disarray, a few politicians in both states are feebly trying to hold Verizon accountable.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania said it was holding a hearing after being presented with photo evidence of Verizon's failure to maintain its fixed-line networks.