To See the Full Article:

* Fact: 1992, NYNEX put together a report with the Public Service Commission called "Vision of the Future ---- 16% should have been upgraded to fiber by 2000. Here's the front page of the report.

• PSC "Staff Report Assessing Network Modernization Needs", based on a NYNEX report "Vision of the Future" 1992. http://www.newnetworks.com/nypscfiberreport1992.htm
• NYNEX's was supposed to have about 16% of the state finished by 2000. http://www.newnetworks.com/nypscfibernumbers.htm

  * FACT: 1993, 15 years ago, then NYNEX claimed it would have 1.5-2 million homes rewired in their territories with fiber optics --- that's 1 million homes in New York state. Here's the page from the actual annual report. This fiber optic service was capable of 45mbps in both directions and should be able to handle over 800 channels, open to all competitors and ubiquitous deployments.

• Verizon claimed it would have 1.5-2 million lines installed by 1996 - http://www.newnetworks.com/nynex2millionlines1993.htm
• Verizon claimed in 1993 it would be rolling out 'fiber to the curb' - http://www.newnetworks.com/nynexfibercurb1993.htm

Fact 1995 Using the Information Superhighway and competition as the 'gimme', the state deregulated most of Verizon's profits.

NYNEX: "New York is the most information-intensive economy in the world, and telecommunications networks -- which transport this information -- will spur economic development in the state... With an advanced telecommunications infrastructure, a number of industries can, and should, flourish in New York: health care, financial services, information technology, research and development, educational services, entertainment and real estate. Unlike other transportation infrastructures -- such as our roads, bridges, airports and harbors -- telecommunications does not generally require government funding."

• About the 1995 Bill
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_March_14/ai_16657811

  * FACT 1995 These new regulations also allowed Verizon to take a $2.3 billion dollar tax deduction claiming they would be upgrading their networks. Meanwhile, in 2003, Verizon took an additional $3.5 billion dollar deduction for poles and other items. Prices should have decreased.

• New York Tel took a $2.3 billion tax deduction for fiber upgrades. Verizon took a $3.5 billion dollar deduction for poles and other items in 2003.
• http://www.teletruth.org/docs/NYNEXDepreciation.doc

  * Fact 1996 Verizon, then Bell Atlantic, claimed in 1996 it would be rewiring its 12 million homes by 2000. Here's the press from 1996:

• In 1996, Bell Atlantic announced 12 million homes by 2000,
• http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/bell-atlantic/1996/page.jsp?itemID=29607541

* Fact1997 Verizon pulled the largest bait and switch in history, rolling out inferior DSL over the old copper wiring, with its limited speed and distance problems, only a year after announcing they were rewiring 12 million homes.

• Bell Atlantic to Offer ADSL-Based Service Starting in Mid-1998
• http://news.vzw.com/news/1997/05/pr1997-05-19a.html

* FACT 1998 DSL Deployment haunted with problems. DSL over the old copper had many implementation problems for years, many targeting the small ISPs who rented the networks.

• DSL: Darn Stupid Line, Wired Magazine, 1998 http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2000/01/33653

  * Fact 2001 NYNEX was audited and the FCC found billions of dollars in missing equipment was added to rates. - In New York, the State PSC corroborated much of this data and found $634 million in missing equipment --- which was only ¼ of the total audits that should have been done - thus $2.4 billion.

• The Report found $634 million in missing equipment and that was only ¼ of the potential audits that should have taken place. http://www.newnetworks.com/nypscaudit.htm
• $2.4 billion in Missing Equipment has been added to rates: State PSC report: 'Review of FCC's Audit of Continuing property records" 2001. http://www.teletruth.org/docs/NYplantdoc10309.pdf

FACT 2008

Fact, the cost of local service in New York City has gone up 472% since 1980 to 2008 based on phone bills, not inaccurate state of federal data. (by 2006 it was up to 426%). Meanwhile, the cost of offering service continues to drop. - NYNEX cut its staff in half and dropped new construction about the same amount over the last decade. Because of the deregulation of 1995 and other instances, no regulator examines the actual costs of service, the profits or even where all the money is going.

• Aunt Ethel's phone bill: 1980-2006 reveals an increase of 426% since the break up of AT&T and deregulatory policies http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ask_this.view&askthisid=00233

Every school, library, government agency, home and business, hamlet and city has been gouged based on the premise that New York would have already been rewired.

If you say, "What about phone packages?" Did you know that the advertised price doesn't include 35-50% of mostly mandatory fees, that most low-volume customers (over 30%) pay more on packages, or that because of hundreds of truth-in-billing violations, 70% of small businesses are paying for services they didn't order, want or need?

• Here's some info we collected about New York and New Jersey:
• http://www.newnetworks.com/phonebillinto.html

Excessive Cable Prices: $3.5 billion. If Verizon had built out the networks, then there would have been cable competition. Based on Verizon's astroturf group Consumers for Cable Choice, lack of cable competition cost New York state an additional $3.5 billion - about $500 money out of your pocket.

Massive Cross-subsidization and Verizon will still keep all of the utility perks: Because no one is examining the books, Verizon has been able to shift hundreds of millions of dollars in costs of their new products, including FiOS to customers as well as keep very valuable perks, such as rights of way, or valuable assets like the 411 networks, which is not Verizon's property.

Watch out for Astroturf: Teletruth has dedicated a new site to multiple stories about Verizon, AT&T and their astroturf, corporate-think tanks, campaign financed politicians, and co-opted consumer groups, including blacks, Hispanics, Seniors and the disabled.

• Astroturf, Stink Tanks, and Co-opted Groups.
• http://www.newnetworks.com/astroturfstink.htm