Verizon Not Connecting with DC Residents

"I dumped (Verizon) once, I ain't coming back!" a disgruntled former Verizon customer told volunteers surveying the experiences of DC residents affected by Verizon's declining service. The volunteers were canvassing District neighborhoods Saturday as DC City Council gets set for a February 5 vote to deregulate telecommunications service in the District. "My phone was down for five days and a family member had just passed away so I had to buy a phone card to help plan the funeral arrangements," said another person who stopped to take the survey. Others told horror stories about Verizon's customer service, and complained about being overcharged with no explanations, recurring problems with phone service during bad weather, and Verizon's failure to offer service in their neighborhood. The survey results are a part of the Connect-DC coalition campaign, which will present the results of the surveys at public hearings on DC utility services on February 7 and 9. Problems with phone service in the District will get worse as Verizon abandons  DC lines to focus on building fiber optic cables in the suburbs, predicts CWA Local 2336 President Jim Pappas. "It's like changing from an old wreck of a car to a new one," says Pappas. "You might be willing to keep the old wreck patched together but once the decision is made to buy a new car, how much are you willing to do to keep the old one running?" The Connect-DC coalition is calling on the DC City Council to conduct its own investigation into Verizon's service quality, include all stakeholders in determining the state and condition of Verizon's service and engage Verizon in a discussion about investing more human resources and infrastructure in DC. Click here to take the online survey. - reported by Ruth Castel-Branco, DC Jobs with Justice Organizer