[Hidden-tech] Verizon: the only game in town?

[Matthew Crocker]

On Dec 5, 2013, at 9:43 PM, Robert Heller <heller at deepsoft.com> wrote:

> At Thu, 5 Dec 2013 16:55:01 -0500 Matthew Crocker <matthew at corp.crocker.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> On Dec 5, 2013, at 3:46 PM, Robert Heller <heller at deepsoft.com> wrote:
>> 
>>>  ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
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>>> 
>>> 
>>> After much Googling, it appears that for analog phone service (POTS) in 
>>> Western Mass, Verizon is the *only* option?  Does anyone know if ANY of the 
>>> CLECs in Mass offer analog phone service (POTS)?  Or do they only offer 
>>> services like DSL or VOIP or PBX services?
>> 
>> We have ADSL2+/POTS service off our own DSLAM in Northampton.  
>> 
>> The entire DSL industry is dead.  DSLAMs, DSL modems etc are all legacy and running into End-of-Life product issues.  I don´t see much innovation happening in the DSL product space.
>> 
>> Everything is EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile) mostly geared towards business class high bandwidth Ethernet service over copper.
> 
> I expect the EFM is not going to work well over the old analog twisted pair 
> copper phone lines…

I works as well as DSL over copper.   DSL uses ATM for layer 2,   EFM uses Ethernet for layer 2.   ATM is not a very efficient way to transport IP traffic so you get more usable bandwidth out of EFM.   It is also easier to bond copper pairs together with EFM to increase bandwidth/reliability.

> 
>> 
>>> Googling gets me pages for services like Lingo which offer Digital Phone 
>>> services for as little as $10/month, but need existing broadband internet 
>>> serice.  The only other option is Verizon at $60+ per month.
>>> 
>>> I know there *used* to be alternitive providers -- have they all gone away at 
>>> this point?
>> 
>> Verizon and the FCC has pretty much killed off legacy POTS competition.
> 
> So my only choice is Verizon for POTS, and Verizon pretty much sucks. Damn.
> Towns like Wendell, not only don't have Internet service, we really don't have
> basic [modern, 21st centry] phone service either. Western Mass *IS* a third
> world country (except some 'third world' countries actually have modern 21st
> centry phone service). 

Yeah,  Verizon is all you get in Wendell today.   Anyone providing service will be reselling Verizon copper, DSL & POTS.

MBI will help for sure but you have to build into the Verizon Serving Wire Center in order to gain access to their copper.  Or, you need to build your own infrastructure with all of the pole attachment nightmares


> 
>> 
>> CLECs operating in the valley are (I´m sure I´m missing some):
>> 
>> Crocker Telecommunications, LLC (Business Internet, VoIP, Hosted PBX)  ** Hey,  I´m LOCAL **
>> Earthlink (they bought ChoiceONE, CTC, Lightship, One Communications)
>> AccessPlus (mostly Berkshire County but they do have a presence in Pioneer Valley)
>> BroadView (Northampton, Springfield)
>> DSCI (Business Internet, VoIP, Hosted PBX)
>> 
>> There are a couple others in the Springfield CO but I don´t know their names.
>> 
>> 
>>> -- 
>>> Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller at deepsoft.com
>>> Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
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>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> -- 
> Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller at deepsoft.com
> Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
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