[JohnWill]

Originally Posted by Squashman

Do you have a Room for Rent?

Yes, but there's an extra charge for broadband.

[JohnWill]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

John--I was one of the first to have FIOS in my neighborhood---Fantastic!--I used to have cable via Cable Vision---this wipes it away. You should only pay 54.95 for the 30/5 service------You can ask for it and they shouuld give it to you. I only see a major difference when uploading (I upload lots of big video files). I am waiting for them to add FIOS TV in my neighborhood so I can finally be free of them. By the way, when they install don't let them put their software on your computer---It isn't necessary.

No worries, nobody installs software on anything I own. I plan on replacing their router as soon as they walk out the door too, but I won't tell them that. I'll go with the plan I got until I get it running, when they get the prices sorted out, I might bump it up to the faster service. I'm sure the equipment is the same.

[JohnWill]

Originally Posted by Squashman

Why can't we have Verizon in my area. I am stuck with SBC. I know they are rolling out Fiber but I believe Verizon started their Fiber project before SBC. Don't even think they have started rolling out Fiber anywhere is Wisconsin.

I struggled with dial-up here for years, while people all around me had cable. Now it's an embarrassment of riches, I actually have broadband choices!

[Squashman]

Originally Posted by JohnWill

I struggled with dial-up here for years, while people all around me had cable. Now it's an embarrassment of riches, I actually have broadband choices!

I think my Father-In-Law has laid more Fiber for his utility then any Phone Company has in this state. I keep telling him that the utility should look into being its own ISP. It could be a Hybrid BPL/Fiber network. Most BPL networks are hybrid from what I read. They start with the electrical lines but piggy back into the Fiber infrastructure eventually.

[JohnWill]

Apparently, Verizon is really trying to take a bite out of Comcast's apple! I hear they're going to have super deals on TV service on the fiber network here too. I could be "Comcast Free" soon.

[JohnWill]

The saga continues.

After signing up for the service, the planners came out and marked a route in silver paint. I informed them that the Comcast cable was buried right on that route, and that wasn't a place to dig. I also called Verizon and told them the planned route wasn't right, and they couldn't use it. She didn't seem interested in my new information, and continued painting the line.

On the appointed day, Verizon showed up, and of course their third party installers had not yet buried the conduit, so they couldn't do the install. After looking over the proposed installation details, they left. I also informed the tech that the painted line was not a good route and how unhappy I'd be if they dug up my Comcast line, since I still don't have Internet service from them, not to mention TV.

The next day, the diggers showed up, looked around at all the trees and decided they couldn't do the job, packed up their trucks and left. They also complained that things weren't marked. Of course, I also informed them that the nice easy route that the planner had painted was not available. Again, I called Verizon and told them that the conduit wasn't buried. Obviously that word doesn't make it up the food chain.

A couple days later, Verizon showed up again, then a supervisor came out, finally both left. Comcast came and painted an orange line on their cable, protecting their turf. PECO showed up and painted more orange and red stripes in my landscaping. It's beginning to look like a coloring book!

A couple days later, a second set of diggers came out, in the rain, and we spent an hour talking about the possibilities, they all got into their trucks and left, also without turning one shovel-full of dirt. This time I didn't have to call Verizon, the girl, who is getting to know me on a first name basis, called once again to reschedule the appointment.

Today, on the appointed time, the Verizon guy came again, and of course, no conduit, so he couldn't really do anything. Now we discussed the possibility of going around the front of the house, since there's only a small heavily wooded line that leads to the back, and there's already a number of wires and a sprinkler system buried there.

This time, the Verizon girl is getting smarter, the new appointment is a week away, giving the third crew time to do the job, if they don't pack up and run.

This after noon I got a call from a supervisor, he's coming Monday with the tech and the contractor that's going to bury the conduit so we can all figure out the best way to get it to the house.

I have to say one thing for the folks at Verizon, they have a good sense of humor, and they're not giving up!

[JohnWill]

I can report a bit of progress! I now have an empty conduit from the pole to the side of the house, so it appears that Verizon is actually going to install this service one of these days! Monday is the witching hour, it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

[TerryNet]

Good luck. It's been interesting reading your saga.

[JohnWill]

It's been an interesting experience so far. I'm hearing from folks around here that they'll have TV service in a couple of months. I could be Comcast-Free by the end of the year.

[Squashman]

Sounds scary to me. I have so many trees in my yard that they would have to play connect the dots to get a cable into my house. The trees are so bad in the back of my house, that I am not even connected to the tranformer on the pole in my backyard. I am connected to a tranfsformer that is 400 feet from my house in my front yard that is on the next street over.

[JohnWill]

So many trees? Guess what! See the shot below down the driveway, and they route they took had even more trees. They were threading the conduit under tree roots all the way, what a nightmare! The entire 360 feet for the conduit was hand dug, except for the 40 or so feet to go under the driveway and landscaping, where they used their horizontal boring machine. They had five guys with skinny shovels digging a trench! It's only buried about 6", so sometime in the future I can see it getting hammered by landscaping, hopefully I'll have moved by then.

[JohnWill]

I feel the need... The need for speed!

[Squashman]

That is Sweet!

[linskyjack]

Congrats, John, Fios is excellent but be a bit leery of Fios Tv---I'm holding off because there have been plenty of problems.

[JohnWill]

What sort of problems with the TV? They don't have it here in my area yet, but I'm certainly interested. The deals they're talking about are cheaper and better than Comcast, and they haven't broken any records for relability for me.