After weeks of waiting on Speakeasy, Covad, and Verizon to get their shit together and activate my DSL, it has finally become apparent that I will not have DSL anytime soon.
A technician from Covad showed up yesterday for the “install appointment” which, as I understood it, was to involve nothing more than handing me the DSL modem and watching me plug it into the wall. So when he asked me how to gain access to my apartment complex’s telecommunications room, I was a little surprised.
I walked down to the manager’s office with the Covad guy and asked the ladies in the office if they knew where the telco room was and how we could gain access. We got some blank stares, but then one girl in the back said that only Verizon had keys to the telco room. The Covad guy, a fat, jolly character wearing a shirt emblazoned with the LiveJournal.com logo, went off on a highly technical rant about something or other and everyone’s eyes glazed over.
As it turns out, Mr. Covad Guy needs to get into that room for 30 seconds to connect some wires. Verizon is legally obligated to allow him to connect those wires. However, Verizon is not legally obligated to let him into their telco room. So if I want DSL, I have to call Verizon and somehow convince them to send their own technician out to make the changes. Furthermore, I’d probably end up having to pay Verizon something extra on top of what I’d be paying Speakeasy every month.
Fuck that. Comcast, here I come.
Comments
Ack!
That just figures, doesn't it? So the "no land line needed" doesn't translate into "no need to pay anything for the land line." Perhaps I should call Speakeasy and confirm that what they seem to promise isn't what I get, and then figure out how to rearrange my telecom rearragnements. Duh.
welcome to the dark side
but, cable is just so much faster and easier. it's so hard to resist the dark side of the force…
Re: welcome to the dark side
The problem lies in that the speed is one way, upload feels like dialup relatively.
Nrrrrgggh
Wanted Speakeasy, apartment was previously using a CLEC for POTS. Speakeasy needs to be on Verizon. No problem, I set up Verizon on the el-cheapo plan and get myself hooked up.
Setup day comes, I see the Verizon truck at the cabling closet, and later pull away. No dialtone. Call up Verizon support and they say they made the pair live, but we are still on the CLEC's punchdown block. They need to move it 2 feet to the right to Verizon's punchdown block. They can't touch it until I ask them, and because its on 'my side' of the line of demarcation, it's considered a 'telephone repair' and I need to pay a service fee.
I go and talk to the superintendant, and like you, only the CLEC and Verizon have keys to the cabling closet, so I can't do the simple repair myself.
So, we dropped phone service and kept our cable modem.
Damn Verizon
It seems Verizon has caused nothing but a load of hassle for folks that I know lately. Aside from bad business, it it just plain annoying! I hope you have internet soon. You know you are welcome to mooch off Bedrick and me in the intrim.
Verizon
Argh. I wonder if the FCC could be brought into the loop here? Verizon is messing with people's freedoms, and the FCC isn't supposed to allow that. Hmmph.
Re: Ack!
This isn't really Speakeasy's fault, although I wish they had done more to ensure the process would have gone smoothly.
Re: Ack!
Well, from what you wrote, I got the impression that Verizon could suddenly demand compensation for, say, the use of the copper lines they have running from the central to my house. I'm sure they could conjure up some excuse to rake in their piece of the cake, regardless of who's plate it's on.