[Discuss] Verizon phasing out copper

[Richard Pieri]

Matthew Gillen wrote:
> But not in the same way copper POTS was in some very important respects.
>  First, access: Vz doesn't /have/ to provide third party access (so for
> example there will never be another Speakeasy, or 10-10-220 if you
> remember that).

Almost all of the old CLECs /failed/. The CLEC business model doesn't
work. The ones that barely survived, like Speakeasy and Covad, merged
and now run their own circuits to corporate customers.

> Second, while Comcast is the vocal leader on this, Vz
> is right behind them: they like to claim that since it's not a POTS line
> any more that the provisions of common-carrier status don't apply

FiOS is not a common carrier service. FiOS is not available to everyone
equally. Neither is Xfinity. Any given city or town can decide not to
permit Verizon to provide FiOS service, the same way that any given city
or town can decide not to permit Comcast to provide service. Since any
given cable TV provider's service is not common to everyone that service
cannot have common carrier status.

You can thank or blame the FCC for this one. It's a side effect of the
deregulation acts that put control over who provides what in the hands
of municipal cable advisory boards.

-- 
Rich P.