[nycbug-talk] Verizon Woes got you down?

[alex at pilosoft.com]

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005, Charles Sprickman wrote:

> -metro ethernet (which we are pushing hard anywhere that has the service)
> -T1/T3 lines via a CLEC that has fiber in the building
> 
> In both cases you can be completely verizon free without worrying about
> the crowded NYC airwaves.  It's truly a shame that NYC has such an
> excellent density to sell wireless into, but it also has so much RF
> pollution that it's hit or miss.
Eh, you can't ever be completely verizon-free. The list of buildings where 
CLECs have *their own fiber* is short. At the rest of them, CLECs buy 
UNE-DS3 or similar transport products from verizon. Also, the CLEC fiber 
is in conduits that are owned by Empire City Subway, which is (guess) 
owned 50/50 by NYC and VZ. :)

> Right now we're starting to work with a salesman turned telco agent for
> direct VZ T1s.  Back when I worked with him at inch.com, he worked
> wonders with his secret VZ rolodex.  A botched job could be turned
> around the same day if you knew the digits to dial to get the right guy
> on the job.  I'm hoping he still has the magic touch.
It's hit and miss. I have contacts for vz hicap folks, but you can't get 
your guy to do the specific job...

> In the past, I've seen problems like the one in Ike's customer's
> building solved by leaning on Verizon hard enough to get fiber and a mux
> installed in the building.  That usually brings you up to 5 9's
> reliability.  VZ is reluctant to do this in older/smaller buildings, but
> I've seen it happen if the building management allows this (no charge
> for the fiber + mux, but some buildings just don't want to give up a few
> square feet in the basement).  Usually when you see a "T1 from hell"
> it's copper from the CO to premise, and given the condition of VZ's
> copper plant in Manhattan, you're lucky if it works.
That is true.