Verizon (VZ) cuts the old copper wire to homes when it installs its new fiber-to-the-home service, Fios. Fios offers faster broadband, so who needs the copper anyway?
Verizon points out that they tell everyone that the copper link is going away. It is somewhere in the paperwork which the customer gets. The installation guy is supposed to mention it, if he remembers.
But, if the current Fios customer wants to go back to an old phone line or shut off more expensive Fios and return to using DSL, the fact that the cooper has been yanked is a problem. Fios has another issue. When the electricity goes down, it don’t work. Cooper does not have that problem. Makes calling 411 sort of tough if you have the newer tech.
The deal is a nifty way to help build a Fios customer base in a market where most people who have a voice/TV/broadband package currently get it from the cable company.
Retaining customers for Fios is easier whent consumers can turn it on but can’t turn it off.
Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected].
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