FIOS is coming to rural Atlantic County

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Yeah, I am planning to add it to my property map. A "GPS track" won't be terribly useful though, not nearly accurate enough for that kind of thing. Will use my GLO to take static readings at strategic points, it is pretty good for that. Will take old fashioned measurements with a tape measure for the part near the house. :)

Hope they finish up the installation soon - my DSL line just went dead, maybe they have disconnected it? Am using a connection to my phone to type this!
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Not so happy with Verizon at the moment. I called them because I wanted to find out when the installer is actually coming so I don't miss him, and also to find out why my DSL connection stopped working. I was literally on the phone for 2 hours, waiting while they checked things and getting transferred to 3 different people.

Their records only showed that the guy was here on the 22nd and did not finish. So after a long wait they said it needed to be re-scheduled and the earliest available time is Thursday afternoon. The first person said they turned off DSL because my account was "in transition". The next person checked a bunch of things and said they wouldn't do that and it must be some other problem.

The third person finally confirmed that they had indeed turned DSL (and regular phone service) off as part of the transition. So that is annoying, I will have two days with no internet service. But not to worry... all I have to do is call them back (and go through the same frustrating process) and they will credit me for two days without service. Not going to bother, it isn't worth the effort for the $3 or $4 it might save me.

Oh well, nothing to do but wait for Thursday now (athough who knows when he might actually show up, based on what has happened so far). I can tether my laptop to my cell phone, but my other devices and computers are not going to work properly until FIOS comes on line. :argh:
 

Boyd

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Well I *finally* have FIOS, but what a pain... the installer just now left at 10:30PM. Original schedule was for 1:00-3:00 PM, then around 2:00 they bumped it to 3:00-6:00. The guy finally arrived at 6:05, but wasn't aware he needed 800 feet of cable, which he didn't have. So he left to get cable and find someone else to help. Returned around 8:00 with the cable but no help.

Amazingly, he was able to pull the fiber through the conduit in the dark and do a full installation in about two and half hours. Just now trying it for the first time and it certainly feels fast, will put it through the paces tomorrow and see what it really can do. When he was done I made a comment about how disorganized Verizon was and then I couldn't get rid of him while he vented about all their problems.

Learned one interesting thing... I was lucky to have DSL here, he said there were only 100 lines available and there has been a waiting list for a long time. Anyway, I have finally joined the broadband era, let's see how well it works now. :)
 
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46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
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Well I *finally* have FIOS, but what a pain...

Learned one interesting thing... I was lucky to have DSL here, he said there were only 100 lines available and there has been a waiting list for a long time. Anyway, I have finally joined the broadband era, let's see how well it works now. :)

:D :dance: :)
thumbsup.gif


 

Boyd

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Just tried uploading a big file for the first time tonight, 3.2gb of 1080p24 video. It took 3 minutes to upload to Vimeo, which works out to just about exactly the advertised 150mbs FIOS speed. I'm impressed - it took me 10 hours to upload a 3gb map file with my old DSL connection. :dance:
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
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Coastal NJ
There have been a number of Verizon trucks working along one road in town for the past 2 weeks. Curiosity got me and I stopped and asked; FIOS is being installed.
 

Boyd

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When they are working on the lines around here they frequently put a big sign next to the truck that says "ASK ME ABOUT FIOS". I was surprised since you might think the technicians were busy and wouldn't want to be bothered. But the installer was telling me they had a slack time recently and sent the technicians out on foot going door to door in Bridgeton trying to sign people up. He said it was ridiculous, their list of prospects included places like the post office and public library. I guess it was better than getting laid off though. ;)

FIOS has completely lived up to its promise for me, 150mbs speed is just amazing for uploading big files like video. The monthly bill is exactly what they promised. I count myself lucky, the FCC has proposed changing the definition of broadband to 10mbs down and only 1mbs up. I doubt that Verizon could have been persuaded to install FIOS in my tiny town under those conditions. https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/10/fcc-mobile-data-as-broadband-slower-speeds/
 
About Verizon: FIOS the technology functions, the company sucks. I have MUCH more forceful language I forbear to use here.
We currently use Comcast triple play where I live in Hopewell Township, although Verizon is also available here. Comcast is more expensive, but you can work your way thru their phone reps to finally talk to someone competent (hint--call after midnight, geek time) and their sales reps are less likely to flat out lie.

We used to have a Verizon landline. About 10 years ago, the Verizon CEO stated that the company's future profit was in mobile devices. And whenever there was heavy rain and wind, our landline function deteriorated or failed completely. It would take several calls to Verizon to schedule repair days later, consume at least 4 hrs waiting for them to show up, and convince the sub-contracted limited-skills repair guy that the issue was not the wiring inside the house, which I knew was good because I ran it to the junction box. We then had to reschedule and wait again for someone with the skillset and truck with a ladder show up to repair the copper line on the pole behind the house. This continued for the next few years, with the monthly charge for this landline increasing each year.
Twice the initial appointment produced a guy with a van plastered with FIOS logos who asked if we wanted to "upgrade" to FIOS. We declined, he then told us he did not have the equipment to fix the landline and we should call to schedule an appointment. When a competent guy got here, he told us the company did not issue equipment to fully repair and maintain the copper lines; all he could do was switch our phone line to less deteriorated copper lines. When our landline did work, the voice quality was poor, often with fragments of other customers' conversations. We finally gave up and went from Comcast internet and TV to a triple play bundle.
In a power outage, we've got a crank am/fm/weather radio to receive info and a ham radio to broadcast.

I won't tell the story here about how Verizon contracted tree trimming to prepare the street behind our property for the fiber optic line to a landscape company whose employees butchered our cedar trees (can you say branch collar? No? Duh.) And how the Verizon supervisor onsite was rude, contentious, and deceptive when I stopped them. This in complete contrast to the way Atlantic Electric trimmed the higher branches along the same right-of-way.


Last spring I was among the crowd of several hundred people attending the meeting in Estell Manor where representatives from the state BPU were presented with statements re Verizon's failure to enable internet access for that and other rural communities. Steve Sweeney and representatives from communities in Atlantic County as well as my part of Cumberland County were there.

Without landlines, 911 dispatch is problematic. Need an ambulance in Shiloh? Good luck.

Until I heard what people had to say at this meeting, I did not appreciate how well off I was to have both Comcast and Verizon available. Without reliable internet, people cannot run a business, medical offices cannot function, alarm systems don't work, kids can't get homework assignments

Verizon may have improved. I still won't deal with them.
currently contemplating getting my own 60' antenna tower for over the air tv.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
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Coastal NJ
Many companies embark on service expansions but fail to also expand their support for those services. Comcast was one of them, but eventually corrected. It appears Verizon may be doing the same. My son recently dropped Verizon for Comcast; service was fine, dealing with them was not. We have Comcast as it is the only service option other than satellite we have as we are too heavily treed. That changed earlier this year when a neighbor opened up the sky when they put in a swimming pool. For TV, I stream off the net, do not need 200+ channels of which most are duplicates. Tried an antenna but did not give what we wanted. I have found the most effective way to work with Comcast is either their chat support option for service issues or stopping by one of their store fronts for business issues.
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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Never had any real problems with either Comcast or Verizon. Stopped watching cable/broadcast TV in 2006 and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. There are much better things to do with my time. :)
 
Many companies embark on service expansions but fail to also expand their support for those services. Comcast was one of them, but eventually corrected. It appears Verizon may be doing the same. My son recently dropped Verizon for Comcast; service was fine, dealing with them was not. We have Comcast as it is the only service option other than satellite we have as we are too heavily treed. That changed earlier this year when a neighbor opened up the sky when they put in a swimming pool. For TV, I stream off the net, do not need 200+ channels of which most are duplicates. Tried an antenna but did not give what we wanted. I have found the most effective way to work with Comcast is either their chat support option for service issues or stopping by one of their store fronts for business issues.

We have also used the Comcast chat support option with good results. Local storefront in Bridgeton, not so much. Better in Vineland, best chatting/talking directly with tech people. They were how we found out we could exchange the DVR we rent from them for one with double the storage capacity at no extra charge.

Not easy dealing with either company, need to periodically call & threaten to switch to get better deal. !
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
The FIOS man cometh and the street has so many marking colors and flags on it I thought I'd passed across the rainbow bridge. Wish I had some No Trespassing signs, not that it would change anything.

colors.gif
 
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46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
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Coastal NJ
Today is the day the Verizon contractors showed up in the neighborhood. Started on our street; the other side of the street looks like a war zone, craters all along the ROW, several trucks and guy's busy digging holes. :eek:
 
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