Verizon Fiber Optics Installation

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Fwd: Verizon Fiber Optics Installation]
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 14:56:44 -0500 (EST)
From: sami aronson-unger <aronsos () amnh org>
To: dave () farber net

IP may be interested.
Sami


---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Verizon Fiber Optics Installation
From:    "Stephen Unger" <unger () cs columbia edu>
Date:    Thu, February 23, 2006 14:41
To:      faculty () cs columbia edu
Cc:      "Sami, AMNH Unger" <aronsos () amnh org>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of weeks ago we had Verizon install a fiber optics (FIOS)
internet connection in our house.  A network router is included.
There is one aspect of this that anybody else planning to have this done
ought to be aware of at the outset.  The default is to have
telephone service also on the FIOS.  This was not brought to our
attention before we had the job done.  For ordinary telephone service over
copper wire, power is supplied from the central office, so that if there
is a local power outage, you don't lose telephone service. But FIOS
requires that power be supplied by the subscriber.  Verizon supplies a
battery backup system that will maintain telephone service (but NOT the
data channel) in the event of a power outage.  It will give you a few
hours of phone service.  Also, these batteries do fail after a few years
and subscribers are responsible for replacing them. I don't know of any
benefit to the subscriber of having the phone on FIOS.

We realized this shortly after the job was completed and then it took a
lot of agitating to get Verizon to restore the copper phone line
connection.  I believe that there would have been no problem if we had
asked for this at the outset, which is the reason for this message.

The system is working very well so far and we very much enjoy the high
speed service--claimed to be 5MbS  (or 625 KBS).


Steve
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