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[Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
- Subject: [Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
- From: mbr at arlsoft.com (MBR)
- Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2017 01:33:08 -0400
- In-reply-to: <22746.47162.168585.254030@blazemonger.com>
- References: <22746.45853.811210.52054@blazemonger.com> <71df3f38247ad387aa660e6826b6da73.squirrel@mail2.ihtfp.org> <22746.47162.168585.254030@blazemonger.com>
According to the FCC (https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/porting-keeping-your-phone-number-when-you-change-providers) porting "can be done between wireline, IP and wireless providers". The only circumstances under which you can't port your phone number, again according to the FCC, are either: 1) if you are moving to a new geographic area or 2) if you're dealing with a rural wireline service provider who has obtained a waiver for the porting requirement from state authorities. From your description, neither applies. As a result of Verizon trying to coerce me to give up my copper line a few years ago, I've spoken to people at the Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities and the offices of both my U.S. Senators, my U.S. House Representative, as well as my Mass. Senator and my Mass. House Rep. The one thing I can say for certain is that Verizon will lie through their teeth with no shame whatsoever, and unless you apply sufficient pressure, they'll get away with it. It may be that there really is some weird exception that the FCC neglected to mention on their website, but I'd guess it's far more likely that Verizon is lying to you. If this is important enough to you, I'd suggest you get back in touch withthem and demand a detailed explanation of what law or regulation exempts your number from the FCC requirements. Demand the full name and job title of the person telling you this, and take detailed notes on what their claimed justification is for denying you the rights that the FCC says you have. Chances are the person will refuse to give their last name. If that happens, ask for their ID number. Armed with this information, call the Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities and anyone else you can think of that might have some power over the phone companies. When Verizon responded to my request for them to repair my copper line by repeatedly sending repair people who told me they were there to convert me to fiber "as I requested" (I never made any such request, and I refused them access to my property if that was what they were going to do), I raised enough of a stink with the Mass. DPU, my Federal Senators and Rep., and my Mass. Senators and Rep. that some Verizon manager called me and threatened to disconnect my service immediately. At the time, I didn't know that they'd just shot themselves in the foot. It was only when I called the Mass. DPU and my legislators' offices, that one of them informed me that Verizon had violated the law by making that threat. Shortly thereafter a very apologetic Verizon representative called me from a special office that Verizon had set up to placate customers who complained loudly enough. She arranged for my copper line to be fixed without converting to fiber, and gave me about 3 months of free phone service to shut me up. The lesson here is that, if it's important enough to you, be persistent. Mark Rosenthal mbr at arlsoft.com <mailto:mbr at arlsoft.com> On 3/28/17 3:23 PM, Daniel Barrett wrote: > On March 28, 2017, Derek Atkins wrote: >>> 2. Add phone service to my existing Verizon FIOS Internet plan. (Con: >>> I lose my phone number of 25 years.) >> I don't understand this second point. Why can't you port your existing >> phone number over? > I don't understand it either, but Verizon has confirmed it (twice). > Apparently, my home number is special. 95% of home numbers can be > ported to their FIOS Voice service, but mine can't. > > However, they can port it to Verizon Wireless. Weird. > > -- > Dan Barrett > dbarrett at blazemonger.com > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > Discuss at blu.org > http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss >
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- [Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
- From: dbarrett at blazemonger.com (Daniel Barrett)
- [Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
- From: derek at ihtfp.com (Derek Atkins)
- [Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
- From: dbarrett at blazemonger.com (Daniel Barrett)
- [Discuss] AT&T eliminating copper phone lines
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