I pay $60pm for 75mbps internet access with Verizon FiOS, which they upgrade to 100mbps. When I connect my laptop directly to the router’s Ethernet port I see about 90-93mbps. It’s near enough what they claim. I know people in several countries that will look on enviously at such bidirectional rates (cough, Australia).

However, new customers that pay $60pm get 400 mbps, see above. Which is a little annoying. But that’s what happens with monopolies.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been having problems with internet access stability. The modem resetting, and appalling speed tests, like sub 1mbps.

I tried contacting Verizon in early September, just logging in was a test of will, a slow site, additional security questions I’d forgotten. Waiting in queue for chat, having my session time out and losing chat. I gave up.

Then yesterday I’d had enough with the poor performance, as my son had lost Zoom connection to online class several times. I ensured I had over one hour to dedicate to my Verizon FiOS experience.

I finally was in contact with a VZ agent, after being 38th in the chat queue. The agents are great BTW, worldclass, it’s just the systems and processes they have to work with suck. So lots of resets and reboots, walking up and down stairs between my office and the comms shelf, and in the end the agent timed out of the chat session while I waited for the router to reboot yet again.

The upshot is I need a new modem/router, which costs $15pm or $300 to buy, and I have to agree to paying another 2 years of $60pm for 75mbps, which they upgrade to 100mbps (I hope). While new customers get 400mbps for $60pm. I was not happy at this point.

The marginal cost to Verizon for providing 400 versus 100 is negligible. It’s just a way of demonstrating their monopoly power to a customer. AKA pissing existing customers off as we have no choice. Really, I have no choice, Comcast sucks. I’ve tried them in the past. Given the number of power outages we have that go on for days at a time, Comcast is not viable as they stop working when the power goes out, while FiOS continues working. Wireless home internet providers are still lying about their experience, so let’s not go there yet.

I finished the day sad and frustrated with my Verizon FiOS experience. I need to buy a new modem and sign up for another 2 years to a plan I dislike and have no choice but to accept. At least all the last minute registrations for TADHack Global left me feeling good at the end of the day. TADHack South Africa is at about 300, overall we’re close to 700 across all locations. An amazing achievement for everyone involved during a pandemic.

But back to my Verizon FiOS, I do have other options, for example ask Verizon to enable the Ethernet port on my ONT, and then connect another WiFi router. Though it does require some rewiring. And it’s not clear to me I can rely on VZ to enable that port. Likely once the existing modem starts playing up again, I’ll give this later option a go. When I see the nonsense spouted about digital transformation in the telco industry, the customer reality is far, far different. Verizon you leave me a little sad and frustrated.