Verizon Communications has decided to pocket most of the savings from the cancellation of a government surcharge on digital subscriber lines, despite calls from consumer groups to pass on the savings on to users.
Verizon, one of the biggest U.S. telecoms companies, used to charge DSL customers a monthly fee of $1.25 or $2.83, depending on connection speeds, for a government fund to help bring service to lower-income and rural areas.
The government stopped charging that fee from August 14, but Verizon will instead impose a new monthly surcharge of $1.20 or $2.70, beginning August 26, which it said was to help subsidize connection costs.
Verizon is one of those old-style Telcos that would bring a teary eye to no one — if they simply vanished — and were replaced by a company that derived it’s income from quality service and innovation.
Frankly, no surprise here. Of all the things there are to hate, I probably expend a full 30% to 40% of my limited supply of hate energy on cell phone companies.
Save some of that vitriol for your cable company. They’ve got to right up there in the “clueless to customer service” department.
Verizon is the M$ of telecommunications. Big, greedy and in need of someone to knock their block off, so to speak. I refuse to give any of my money to Verizon as I have done with M$.
Ummm…seems like all the telcos have become Ma Bell once again…it’s quickly going back in that direction…
What was the point in breaking up AT&T into little baby bells if you’re going to allow them to merge and become AT&T again…?
‘ ‘ Verizon is one of those old-style Telcos that would bring a teary eye to no one — if they simply vanished — and were replaced by a company that derived it’s income from quality service and innovation.’ ‘
Skype?
In all seriousness though, Skype’s great.
And that’s why you’ll need net neutrality…
see the connection here?
Check out Verizon’s new calling plan:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51834
When they write the history of this business the Billions stolen from consumers will be the story.
Can you blame companies? Their aim is to profit!!! Your lucky, you guys know when companies just pulled as fast one on you! Some countries like mine. We rarely get to hear it! If ever we get to hear it companies just stick their middle finger & say suck on that bitch!!!
Yes, this is out and out greed but I have a bigger bone to pick with the cellular companies.
My cell carrier charges me $0.70 a month for 911 service. Now, if they all charge each customer at least $0.70 each month that means connecting to the existing 911 service is costing MILLIONS each month!
How come the system costs so much to maintain each month and shouldn’t we expect to know how much of this government mandated fee is actually going to support the 911 system and how much going to a bunch of lame assed executives who’s only job is to screw us out of more money so the CEO can ‘earn’ a larger bonus.
Why do you care what Verizon chooses to charge?
How about the same lame argument that people used to defend Microsoft…”If you don’t like it then don’t use it.” You got other options like smoke signals or telepathy or just yelling real loud. They’re a business simply trying to make a profit to feed their employees so don’t be capitalistic haters. Who are you to judge how much profit they are allowed to make?
The preceeding was for the M$ fanbois who might be one of the complainers here about the phone companies.
Of course companies are out make money. WE WANT THEM TO. Companies are not bad nor greedy. The fault lies squarly on our government for not regulating extremely important services where actual competition does not exist. Net neutrality anyone??
How do we know if there is competition? Because the cream rises where competition exists. MS Word is a piece of crap. Obviously little competition. Google’s services, such as AdWords and Checkout are right on target. They live in a world of competition.
The Internet is much too important for our countries future economic growth to let companies like Verizon and Comcast control the content. I think it is insane that the govenment doesn’t step in an regulate the data pipe to your house IN ORDER TO BOLSTER COMPETITION, REAL COMPETITION. Telephone service, HD television, HD radio. It would be a sweet world if communication competition happened.
Regulation will indeed hurt the communications companies bottom line. Competition hurts! But they can still make a fortune, they just need to offer things better and cheaper, something they are not used to doing. Regulation is a small price to pay for the future economic growth. And by the way, other countries won’t permit behemoths to regulate competition and their high tech growth will outshine American.
Oh no! George Bush, Iraq, global warming and now Verizon! For shame, for shame. Woe to me. Woe to me. I want to move to France where nothing bad, unfair or unjust ever happens!
11 Why do you care what Verizon chooses to charge?
For the same reason I care how much my electricity provider charges me.
Since I live in Oregon, where Portland General Electric [PGE] was collecting state taxes on its bills to customers, and forwarding that money to Enron [corporate parent] – who would then take writeoffs and not pay any taxes!
The utilities want to collect the tax just in case they don’t have enough write-offs. But they don’t want to refund/credit it to us if they do have enough write-offs.
http://oregoncub.org/archives/2006/07/cub_praises_puc_1.php
For almost a year, CUB, industry groups, the utilities and the Commission themselves have wrangled with the question of how to solve this problem of phantom taxation: taxes paid by customers to a utility, but retained by a consolidated corporate utility due to its tax deductions.
Skype? WTF? Try using Skype when your car breaks down on the side of the road and see how far that gets you.
I have Verizon cell service and it’s got good service coverage in my county. It’s cool that the nature of this new charge has come to light, but seriously, if you don’t like the prices, change providers. There’s too much competition in cell service to bitch about prices for longer than a minute or so.
who said anything about using Skype exclusively? Try reading comprehension before opening your idiot mouth.
To AB CD on post #11
You should care because when one does it and gets away with it they all start doing it!
13. Your absolutely right but in this country all the big businesses have become friends and cronies of the government rather than the government doing it’s job like a parent and actually regulating the business environment to prevent the inequities that occur from limited competition or even colusion. Corporations actually control this gov’t more with all the improper campaign funding than the other way around. The public would likely be better off having the power to elect the CEO’s of companies than wasting time electing useless gov’t officials.