[nycbug-talk] Verizon Woes got you down?

[Charles Sprickman]

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 alex at pilosoft.com wrote:

> 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. :)

I still think that if you walk into a high-rise and the mux in the 
basement is owned by some CLEC that you like to work with, you have a 
better chance of getting a timely fix than if you're dealing with Verizon.

Also keep in mind that ConEd does NOT use the Empire City Subway for their 
fiber.  Their list of buildings is short, and they are in turmoil, but now 
that they have a buyer, perhaps they will continue putting equipment in 
all of their buildings.

>> 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...

You can also push hard from the sales end.  There are contacts that can do 
the sales->tech bitching at such a fevered pitch that things get done. 
Like I said, my pal was very good at this when I worked with him.  I don't 
know how many others like him are out there.

>> 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.

And the right person can push for a mux in the building.  I've seen it 
done for a single T1.  Verizon, as much as I hate them, seem to love 
pushing new equipment out like that once the right buttons are pushed - I 
suppose they see it as extending their monopoly even further. :)

Charles