>> Verizon Communications Inc. looks increasingly impatient to roll out
>> its Web-based television service nationwide, suing a Maryland county
>> last week for hampering its entry, but getting licenses may only be >> half the battle.
>> Analysts say that while Verizon's state-of-the-art fiber optic network
>> allows multiple channels of high-definition video and faster
>> downloading, the phone company must show more proof that its
>> multibillion-dollar investment is worthwhile.
>> "This is a once-in-a-century network upgrade," said Shawn Strickland,
>> head of Verizon's FiOS TV product line.
>> But while Verizon is connecting fiber optic cables directly to
>> customers' homes to optimize bandwidth, AT&T is making use of existing
>> copper lines and as a result spending only around half as much on
>> fiber, analysts say.
>> Moreover, programming and prices are alike. Most FiOS customers who
>> take triple play packages pay around $100 a month, similar to cable
>> operators' bundles.
> Interesting article.
> Suppose Verizon fibers up my neighborhood and comes to my curb; and I
> tell 'em I only want a double play package: Internet connectivity, at
> some reasonable bandwidth (maybe 1 to 10 Mb/s) and phone -- no TV.
> Think they'll sell me that at a somewhat lower price?
They're here in my neighborhood (MetroWest MA), and are offering
5Mb/2Mb (Up/Down) service for $35/month, 15Mb/2Mb for $45, and 30Mb/5Mb for $180 with a 1-year commitment. They move your existing telephone service on to the fiber, using a battery-backed interface. You continue to pay whatever you're paying now for landline service in addition to the prices above. They are lobbying my town for a TV license also, and are only offering the voice/data service at this time. And whether they do this or not, if I take whatever they offer, is it
> likely it will be truly network-neutral Internet connectivity? -- that
> is, they just don't intercept or mess with my Internet packets for any
> reason (except of course for whatever eavesdropping obscenities Bush,
> Cheney and Gonzales try to foist on them and me).
I imagine they won't be very VOIP friendly, but I haven't read the TOS yet...
--Gene