Re: Twenty Percent Increase in NY Verizon Rates

from a "Legal Notice" in today's newspaper (reformatted) [a]

> "Notice of proposed tariff filing for certain rate changes > .. they will go into effect on June 16, 2007 > "Dial tone monthly access line rate > - residence service > - current rate: $ 9.85 > - new rate: $11.85 > [a] NY Daily News Tues 11-June-2007 p. 70 > _____________________________________________________ > Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key > snipped-for-privacy@panix.com > [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It appears to be a twenty percent > increase doesn't it? PAT]

Ah, the dying gasps of Verizon. It's the same here in RI, they've lost

43% of their local loop business and their answer is to hike rates. Granted, I think the biggest hike is 13% but still, now they'll be MORE expensive than their competitors.

The Providence Journal recently did a comparison between Verizon and Cox. The cost per month between the two only varies by a couple dollars. This is what happens when a duopoly is in control.

Fortunately I found a way around it all. A 20mbps net service from Cox is $51 a month. My Vonage service is $33 a month. I'm loving it.

I also have a decent TV antenna (Made of copper AWG 24 wire of course!) and a joost membership. So I'm not missing anything.

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I can't get by _quite_ that inexpen- sively here in Independence, KS. TV antennas are basically useless unless mounted quite high with expensive rotors attached. Being 80-125 miles away from the nearest television stations (Tulsa, to the south; Wichita and Topeka to the northwest/north and Pittsburg/Joplin, MO to the east) and much further away to Kansas City, we can choose to turn the antenna north by northwest for a choice of two stations and forget about Tulsa, or south/southeast for a compromise between Tulsa and Pittsburg, KS/Joplin, MO, but forget about Wichita/Topeka. Cable TV is almost an essential even if 'basic cable' is sort of skimpy by itself; at least the cable grabs all three 'markets', Tulsa, Wichita and Pittsburg/Joplin; in addition one or two of the KCMO stations. And we get Fox! Cable channel 3 although it is the 'Tulsa Market Fox' rather than than the 'Pittsburg/Joplin market Fox Network.'

But -- CableOne does offer internet as well, and they are starting phone service in a month or so. Rates quoted on both are inexpensive. I suspect I will discontinue Vonage once CableOne gets its phone service started. One thing in its favor for me is that CableOne has a local office here in Independence and a local, in-town crew working in the office and in the field. Whenever -- quite rarely -- I call them on any sort of repair matter, they are here in an hour or less. They say once telephone service starts they will be in a position to port our existing 620-331 phone numbers as desired, using a 'phone modem' which is sort of like my 'cable modem' but for phone and cable internet in one unit. I doubt I will move my 620-331 phone number, in which case they will give me a 620-330 number to replace Vonage, most likely. When I call on the phone or stop by their office on Penn Street downtown, I get whatever I want in five minutes or less.

Like yourself, I am not missing anything, except the crowds of people in line waiting to get service. That's why I love Independence: every thing I deal with, cable internet/TV, telephone service, gas, electric, even Social Security, has a _local_ office here in town with _local_ employees handling it. We now even have WiFi for our internet all over the downtown area; it would be nice if it was all over town, but having it in three or four downtown areas is a quite good start. PAT]

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