New York - People's Production House and Common Cause/New York called on the New York State Public Service Commission yesterday to reject a “Network Review Plan” proposed by Verizon, barring significant changes to the plan. Verizon’s review plan was submitted July 16, on the eve of the PSC's review of the Verizon cable franchise for New York City. It is intended to remedy the high proportion of Verizon's FiOS installations that do not comply with the National Electric Code or Verizon’s own Methods & Procedures.
In 2006, the PSC reported that Verizon installations represented “a surprisingly high degree of non-compliance” with the safety standards laid out by the National Fire Protection Association in the NEC. PSC inspections conducted in July 2008 showed that very little, if any, progress had been made over the prior two years: nearly two-thirds (62%) of the FiOS installations inspected were not compliant.
Despite this abysmal two-year track record, the proposed Network Review Plan asks the public to trust Verizon to self-police its attempt to inspect and repair thousands of installations. Unfortunately, this proposal is in keeping with a franchising process that is in desperate need of modernization and increased levels of public involvement.
CC/NY and PPH made the following recommendations:
1. Verizon or the PSC should immediately notify all municipalities and local franchising authorities where Verizon FiOS service is available of these matters of non-compliance. So far, Verizon has only communicated the problem to three cities out the 146 in New York State with which it has franchise agreements.
2. The Plan must include meaningful consumer protections, including detailed notification to all subscribers who have this potential hazard in their homes. The notice Verizon proposes to send to subscribers vaguely mentions that a need “to guarantee the reliability and integrity of our facilities and services.” It does not explain that subscribers may be at risk of electric shock and this inadequate notice will not be provided to all subscribers. Under current law, a change in the channel line-up would trigger greater disclosure requirements than these public safety concerns.
3. Verizon should remediate non-compliant installations on the spot in order to minimize inconvenience for the subscriber. There must be clear timelines and penalties for Verizon to complete the work. Gaining access to a home once is hard enough. The proposed plan requires, in some cases, three separate visits into a subscribers home – once to inspect, a second time to repair, and then a third time to inspect the repair. Verizon proposes to fix a problem on average 60 days from when they find it. The company should be required to fix these problems within a maximum of 30 days.
Many proposed changes are based on recommendations offered by Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC), which reviewed the plan at the request of CC/NY and PPH. Since 1983, CTC has worked with the full range of existing and emerging technologies to provide services in technology planning; communications network assessment and implementation; and project management. CTC is not affiliated with equipment manufacturers, communications carriers, cable operators, or service providers.
For more information, please contact Joshua Breitbart at 212-334-7433.