DC Phone Service Criticized

"Verizon's service is unacceptable," said a Verizon customer from Northwest DC during a recent survey conducted by Connect-DC coalition (connect-dc.org). "I lose my phone service fairly frequently, at least 5 times in the past year, and it's usually associated with bad weather." District utility customers will share their horror stories at DC City Council public hearings today and Saturday. Concerns have been raised with the DC City Council about the city's deteriorating telecommunications network while Verizon moves to provide high-quality fiber networks in Maryland and Virginia but not in DC. The public hearings follow months of work, including customer surveys (Verizon Not Connecting with DC Residents 1/24/08 UC), a bus ad campaign (High Speed Internet Service Bypassing DC 2/1/08 UC), and trainings by the Connect-DC coalition to ensure that DC residents are well-represented at the hearings. "These hearings will expose Verizon's continuing failure to meet the most basic quality standards," says DC Jobs with Justice organizer Mackenzie Baris. The hearings come days after a Virginia State Corporation Commission's decision to delay implementing legislation to deregulate telecommunications until next year.