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The Telecom Digest for May 4, 2013
Volume 32 : Issue 95 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Date: Thu, 2 May 2013 08:32:32 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cellphone Thefts Grow, but the Industry Looks the Other Way
Message-ID: <p06240818cda80d1b1282@[10.0.1.12]>
May 1, 2013
Cellphone Thefts Grow, but the Industry Looks the Other Way
By BRIAN X. CHEN and MALIA WOLLAN
When a teenage boy snatched the iPhone out of Rose Cha's hand at a
bus stop in the Bronx in March, she reported the theft to her carrier
and to the police - just as she had done two other times when she was
the victim of cellphone theft. Again, the police said they could not
help her.
Ms. Cha's phone was entered in a new nationwide database for stolen
cellphones, which tracks a phone's unique identifying number to
prevent it from being activated, theoretically discouraging thefts.
But police officials say the database has not helped stanch the
ever-rising numbers of phone thefts, in part because many stolen
phones end up overseas, out of the database's reach, and in part
because the identifiers are easily modified.
Some law enforcement authorities, though, say there is a bigger issue
- that carriers and handset makers have little incentive to fix the
problem.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/technology/cellphone-thefts-grow-but-the-industry-looks-the-other-way.html
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:29:08 -0400Fr
From: Tom Metro <tmetro+blu.remove-this@and.this.too.gmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Verizon phasing out copper
Message-ID: <51844810.9050409@horne.net>
Back when Verizon first rolled out FIOS, the recommendation was that
you should ask them to leave your copper wiring in place, as it
provided a few advantages:
1. Verizon was legally obligated to lease access to that copper to
their competitors, so you could purchase local phone service from
someone else; and
2. It allowed you to receive battery power from the central office to
keep your phones running in a power outage.
Today I received a letter from Verizon regarding my residence in
Newton [Massachusetts] saying "Verizon is replacing telephone wires
and removing obsolete equipment to ensure long-term service
reliability for our customers. To avoid future service interruptions
we'll need to move your telephone service to our new fiber
network. This will be done at no charge to you and you will keep the
same voice service at the exact same price you're paying now."
It seems unlikely they are still motivated by desire to escape sharing
their copper infrastructure with their competitors. Are there any
companies left that sell residential local phone service that haven't
moved on to VoIP? If anything, installing fiber service will only
lessen barriers to switching to a VoIP competitor.
So the old advice seem to be largely obsolete. (Regarding battery
power, the ONT has a battery that lasts, I think, 8 hours. If you use
a cordless phone, and even if you have the base plugged into a UPS (or
have a rare model with a built-in battery), your phone will likely die
in less than 8 hours. So practically speaking you aren't really any
worse off.)
I'd be curious to know what it is costing them to maintain their
copper plant. It must be a money sink, as they can't have high hopes
of converting a lot of these copper customers into subscribers of
Internet, TV, and other higher priced services. (Though undoubtedly
some will.) Most people still using copper are doing so specifically
because they don't want, or have no interest in, the other services
Verizon offers, so slightly reducing the barriers isn't going to turn
them into customers.
In fact, you have to wonder how many people faced with setting an
appointment to have this upgrade performed will say, "Landline? We
still have one of those? Lets just cancel it."
Anyone else received such a letter? Other than if you're still using
DSL, any reason to hold on to copper?
-Tom
--
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile:
http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:12:03 -0500
From: Jack in TN <jack.remove-this@and-this-too.coats.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon phasing out copper
Message-ID: <5184484C.3000103@horne.net>
On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 9:29 PM, Tom Metro <tmetro+blu.remove-this@and-this-too.gmail.com> wrote:
> Back when Verizon first rolled out FIOS, the recommendation was that you
> should ask them to leave your copper wiring in place, as it provided a
> few advantages: 1. Verizon was legally obligated to lease access to that
> copper to their competitors, so you could purchase local phone service
> from someone else; and 2. it allowed you to receive battery power from
> the central office to keep your phones running in a power outage.
>
> Today I received a letter from Verizon regarding my residence in Newton
> saying "Verizon is replacing telephone wires and removing obsolete
> equipment to ensure long-term service reliability for our customers. To
> avoid future service interruptions we'll need to move your telephone
> service to our new fiber network. This will be done at no charge to you
> and you will keep the same voice service at the exact same price you're
> paying now."
>
> It seems unlikely they are still motivated by desire to escape sharing
> their copper infrastructure with their competitors. Are there any
> companies left that sell residential local phone service that haven't
> moved on to VoIP? If anything, installing fiber service will only lessen
> barriers to switching to a VoIP competitor.
>
> So the old advice seem to be largely obsolete. (Regarding battery power,
> the ONT has a battery that lasts, I think, 8 hours. If you use a
> cordless phone, and even if you have the base plugged into a UPS (or
> have a rare model with a built-in battery), your phone will likely die
> in less than 8 hours. So practically speaking you aren't really any
> worse off.)
>
> I'd be curious to know what it is costing them to maintain their copper
> plant. It must be a money sink, as they can't have high hopes of
> converting a lot of these copper customers into subscribers of Internet,
> TV, and other higher priced services. (Though undoubtedly some will.)
> Most people still using copper are doing so specifically because they
> don't want, or have no interest in, the other services Verizon offers,
> so slightly reducing the barriers isn't going to turn them into customers.
>
> In fact, you have to wonder how many people faced with setting an
> appointment to have this upgrade performed will say, "Landline? We still
> have one of those? Lets just cancel it."
>
> Anyone else received such a letter? Other than if you're still using
> DSL, any reason to hold on to copper?
>
> -Tom
>
> --
> Tom Metro
> Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
> "Enterprise solutions through open source."
> Professional Profile:
> http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
>
Alarm systems that use 'dark copper' or other dedicated circuits might have
an issue. But I don't know how much that is done anymore anyway.
><> ... Jack
--
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart... Colossians 3:23
"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate" -
Henry J. Tillman
"Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new." -
Albert Einstein
"You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people." - Admiral
Grace Hopper, USN
Life is complex: it has a real part and an imaginary part. - Martin Terma
Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 05:42:18 -0400
From: Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon phasing out copper
Message-ID: <20130501094218.GY27670@randomstring.org>
On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 10:29:08PM -0400, Tom Metro wrote:
> Back when Verizon first rolled out FIOS, the recommendation was that you
> should ask them to leave your copper wiring in place, as it provided a
> few advantages: 1. Verizon was legally obligated to lease access to that
> copper to their competitors, so you could purchase local phone service
> from someone else; and 2. it allowed you to receive battery power from
> the central office to keep your phones running in a power outage.
>
> Today I received a letter from Verizon regarding my residence in Newton
> saying "Verizon is replacing telephone wires and removing obsolete
> equipment to ensure long-term service reliability for our customers. To
> avoid future service interruptions we'll need to move your telephone
> service to our new fiber network. This will be done at no charge to you
> and you will keep the same voice service at the exact same price you're
> paying now."
Interesting phrasing. You should check with the appropriate
utility commission -- this sounds deceptive.
> It seems unlikely they are still motivated by desire to escape sharing
> their copper infrastructure with their competitors. Are there any
> companies left that sell residential local phone service that haven't
> moved on to VoIP? If anything, installing fiber service will only lessen
> barriers to switching to a VoIP competitor.
There are many residential CLEC companies. Installing FIOS won't
have the effect you mention, because VZ is not obligated to
carry anyone else's IP traffic. There is no Net Neutrality Act.
-dsr-
Date: Fri, 03 May 2013 21:28:27 -0400
From: Bob Hofkin <bhofkin@middleJ.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Verizon phasing out copper
Message-ID: <5184643B.5060204@middleJ.com>
On 4/30/2013 22:29, Tom Metro wrote:
>
> Today I received a letter from Verizon regarding my residence in
> Newton [Massachusetts] saying "Verizon is replacing telephone wires
> and removing obsolete equipment to ensure long-term service
> reliability for our customers. To avoid future service interruptions
> we'll need to move your telephone service to our new fiber
> network. This will be done at no charge to you and you will keep the
> same voice service at the exact same price you're paying now."
A VZ tech told me that the department that supports copper had been
merged in with the FiOS department. He said their goal is to get rid
of all copper by the end of the year.
Bob
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