While some still hold out hope for the pipe dream of a true a la carte pay-TV option where the customer only pays for the channels they want (but at a price that isn’t outrageous), pressure from new streaming services appears to be nudging at least one major cable provider to offer a more flexible plan to subscribers. [More]
verizon fios
Union-Backed Campaign Asks Verizon “Where’s My FiOS?”
By 3.26.15
For years, it’s been obvious that Verizon lacked interest in expanding its FiOS fiberoptic pay-TV and Internet service beyond its existing footprint, even though the company had not fulfilled its promises in areas like New Jersey and New York City to make high-speed broadband available to everyone. And in January, Verizon officially extinguished any hope that FiOS would be bringing competition to new markets anytime soon. But a new campaign organized by the Communications Workers of America is asking consumers to demand that Verizon deliver the service it so proudly touts on TV. [More]
Contract Dispute Blacks Out The Weather Channel Again, This Time On FiOS
By 3.10.15
Bad storms are once again brewing for The Weather Channel. The latest in a maelstrom of recent carriage contract disputes has seen the cable standby booted off of Verizon FiOS systems… and there doesn’t appear to be a quick resolution out on the horizon. [More]
Cablevision Sues Verizon, Claims “Fastest WiFi” Ads Are Misleading
By 1.29.15
Competing companies often call each other out for exaggerations in ads and other marketing sleight of hand, but Cablevision has decided to let the legal system settle its dispute with Verizon over claims of who has the “fastest WiFi available.” Meanwhile, Verizon says the lawsuit is a marketing ploy to sell Cablevision’s WiFi phone service. [More]
Verizon Nearing End Of Plans To Build FiOS Network
By 1.26.15
Are you like a lot of people in this country — You want to change your broadband provider but you can’t because the only high-speed option in your town is your cable company? Maybe you’ve been holding out hope that Verizon will bring FiOS to your town so that you’ll at least have something that resembles a choice. We’ve got bad news for you, the company says it’s getting to the end of its current plans to build out the FiOS network. [More]
Verizon E-Mail Vulnerability Left All Users’ Messages At Risk
By 1.19.15
While many people no longer use the free e-mail accounts made available by their Internet service providers, there are still millions of Americans who do. And up until last week, a reported vulnerability in Verizon’s My FiOS app that left all Verizon e-mail users’ messages at risk of being read by complete strangers. [More]
Verizon: Rally All You Want, We’re Not Bringing FiOS To Your Town
By 11.6.14
Don’t be fooled by Verizon’s commercials for FiOS (and not just because they’re full of misleading charts). If they haven’t already started building out the network in your immediate area, the odds of you ever getting service are slim to none. Just ask the residents of one Long Island town who hoped that a public rally could convince Big V to bring even a hint of broadband competition to their burg. [More]
Surprise: Verizon FiOS Now Offering Free Netflix Subscription To Some New Customers
By 10.28.14
Netflix and Verizon haven’t exactly been the best of friends this year. As the quality of the streaming video service got progressively worse for Verizon FiOS customers, the two companies spent months taking pot-shots at each other before finally resolving the problems in recent weeks. And so it comes as particularly surprising news that Verizon FiOS, of all the broadband and pay-TV companies out there, has become the first of the big players to offer Netflix subscriptions to new customers as part of their subscription bundles. [More]
Netflix-Verizon Connection Agreement Finally Pays Off: FiOS Users Seeing Fastest Streaming Speeds
By 10.14.14
Netflix and Verizon have done a lot of very public verbal poo-flinging at each other this year over the abysmal connection speeds FiOS customers have had when trying to stream video from Netflix. Last mongh, FiOS customers finally started to see some relief (and some smoothly playing TV). It looks like the paid interconnection agreement between the two, though, has finally led to some cooperation and is bearing fruit, as Verizon FiOS customers are now seeing faster average Netflix streaming speeds than from any other large ISP in the country. [More]
Did Verizon FiOS Slow Down Customers’ Apple Downloads? Nope
By 9.25.14
It’s been a busy week for Apple’s download servers, as iPhone and iPad owners eagerly downloaded a new operating system, and owners of the new iPhone 6 downloaded an update, then frantically rolled back that update to avoid some issues. All this meant one thing: lots of downloads from computers and mobile devices alike of the new and old operating systems. [More]
Netflix Speeds Finally Rebound For FiOS, U-Verse Customers
By 9.9.14
For years, Verizon has bragged about the fast data speeds available to subscribers of its FiOS broadband service. Meanwhile, the company was allowing Netflix streams to bottleneck, resulting in real downstream speeds that were slower than some DSL providers. And even months after Netflix agreed to pay Verizon for better access to its network, the speeds didn’t improve — until now. [More]
Why Is Verizon Misleading Consumers With The Charts In These FiOS Ads?
By 8.1.14
If you live near one of the few areas in the country in which Verizon actually operates its FiOS network, you might have seen one of the ads where a Verizon FiOS shill asks “America” to look at a charts claiming to show customer satisfaction results for the nation’s largest Internet and pay-TV providers. Looking at those chart, it appears that Verizon is blowing the competition smithereens. The reality is not as dramatic, graphically speaking. [More]
FiOS Goes Symmetrical: Verizon To Offer Same Upload, Download Speeds
By 7.21.14
FiOS users who get annoyed over how long it takes to upload your stuff to YouTube, rejoice! Verizon announced today that they’re upping their upload speeds to match their download speeds. It’ll take a few months, but eventually subscribers will be able to put stuff on the internet at the same speed they pull stuff down from the internet. [More]
Netflix Is So Slow On FiOS That It’s Faster To Watch Videos Through VPN
By 7.18.14
Even though Netflix and Verizon supposedly made a deal — in April — that was supposed to result in improved streaming speeds for FiOS users, Verizon customers are still seeing sub-DSL speeds, which have only gotten worse in recent months. For one user, who pays extra to Verizon for faster service, it was actually faster to stream Netflix by connecting through a VPN. [More]
ISPs Are Mostly Delivering The Speeds They Advertise, Just Not Consistently
By 6.18.14
What does it mean when a cable company advertises “blazing fast Internet” or download speeds “up to 15 Mbps”? Does that mean all the time for everyone, or just an average? And how far from those “up to” speeds can an Internet service provider be before they have some explaining to do? [More]
Netflix Speeds On Verizon Do Not Improve Even After Agreeing To Pay Up
By 6.9.14
When Netflix agreed to pay Comcast earlier this year for better access to the Comcast network, the streaming video service’s downstream speeds bounced back almost instantaneously and are now faster than they were a year ago. Netflix and Verizon announced a similar deal in late April, but the latest data shows no signs of improvement just yet. [More]
Verizon Sends Netflix Cease & Desist Notice About Buffering Message
By 6.5.14
Yesterday we told you about Netflix using on-screen messages to point the finger at ISPs like Verizon for problems with customers’ streaming video feeds. Looks like Big V didn’t take so well to being called out in front of the rest of the playground and has called in the lawyers to fight back. [More]
Verizon FiOS Gets Benefits Of Being A Public Utility Without The Regulations
By 5.28.14
As you probably know, Verizon was the company behind the lawsuit that gutted the FCC’s net neutrality rules. The telecom titan successfully argued that the FCC lacked the authority to regulate broadband providers like Verizon FiOS. What was lost in this discussion is the fact that all the while Verizon was saying FiOS should not face the same level of regulation placed on landline phone service, it was enjoying all the perks of being associated with a public utility. [More]
