You may remember that T-Mobile was the carrier that pushed the rest of the wireless industry into selling phones without traditional contracts, but with interest-free installment plans. Now, though, T-Mobile wants to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Google’s Pixel phone and… subsidize it for you. Sort of. [More]
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Verizon Hoping Zero-Rated NBA Basketball Can Make Someone, Anyone Use Go90
By 10.27.16
Verizon has a streaming media app. It’s true! It’s called Go90, for marketing-related ~reasons~, and they spent a lot of time and money making it happen. And since the conventional wisdom still says live sports is the key to getting people to sign up for your TV thing, Verizon’s gonna try that. Because goodness knows, nothing else has done it. [More]
Verizon Executive: We’re Still Waiting For More Info On Yahoo Breach
By 10.26.16
Yahoo’s data breach affecting the accounts of half a billion customers will probably have an effect on its pending acquisition by Verizon, and that effect will be a “material” one that will affect how much Verizon pays. A Verizon executive explained at a technology conference today that the company still needs more information about the hack before tying the knot. [More]
Verizon Will Now Sell You All The Unlimited Data You Can Use… For An Hour
By 10.18.16
We usually think of data as something that cycles monthly: your mobile bill comes once a month, and it has all your data charges on it. Bandwidth you use on the 1st is essentially interchangeable with bandwidth you use on the 15th or 30th. But Verizon is apparently tired of thinking monthly, and is now going a little shorter-term. As in, hourly. [More]
Apple Pushes Out Update To Fix Verizon Customers’ iPhone Connection Issues
By 10.17.16
Earlier this month, Verizon Wireless users complained that they were experiencing connection issues with the newly released iPhone 7. In an attempt to fix this issue, Apple has just released an update to the iPhone’s operating system.
Verizon: Yahoo Has To Prove Impact Of Data Breach Isn’t “Material”
By 10.13.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
It sounds like Yahoo has some explaining to do if it wants Verizon to go ahead with the $4.8 billion deal to buy its internet business: Verizon says it’s inclined to declare the impact of the massive data breach that affected at least 500 million Yahoo users as a “material” event. [More]
Verizon Closing Call Centers In 5 States, Cutting 2,600 Employees
By 10.13.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
For the second time in a month, Verizon has announced plans to cut its customer-facing staff. This time, the telecom giant is consolidating call centers nationwide, which means closures in five states and thousands of call center employees on the chopping block. [More]
Best Buy & All Major Wireless Providers Have Stopped Selling Note 7
By 10.10.16
Following last night’s news that Samsung had once again halted production on the Galaxy Note 7, all four of the nation’s major wireless provider, and its biggest electronics retailer, say they have all pulled the Note 7 from sale. [More]
Verizon Customers Reporting Connection Issues With New iPhone7
By 10.5.16
When you purchase a brand new phone — say the iPhone 7 — you would expect to get the same or better service on your wireless network, right? Apparently not, at least for some Verizon Wireless customers who say their new iPhones are randomly losing their cellular connection in areas where service has not previously been a problem. [More]
Union Chief: Verizon Will Discipline, Possibly Fire, Techs Who Repair Copper Phone Lines
By 10.4.16
As Americans continue to ditch wireline phone service in favor of wireless, and as wired voice lines are increasingly moving to fiberoptic networks or lines operated by cable companies, the telecom workers unions and some consumer advocacy groups have accused Verizon of allowing its old network to fall into disrepair. Recently, the head of a union representing thousands of Verizon employees testified that techs can get into trouble and possibly lose their jobs if they actually try to repair damaged copper lines. [More]
NJ Regulators: Verizon Landline Service Has “Systemic Problems,” Fixes Are “Haphazard”
By 10.3.16
The state of Verizon landline service in New Jersey has been a sordid saga for several years now, with customers and mayors repeatedly claiming that the telecom behemoth is neglecting their needs. The latest act in this messy play now sees one state regulator all but begging another to do something already about the way Verizon leaves customers hanging with crappy service. [More]
Yahoo Facing Lawsuits, Senate Inquiry, Possibly Merger Issues After Massive Data Breach
By 9.27.16
Last week was pretty rough for Yahoo, which confirmed on Thursday that it suffered a major data breach affecting more than half a billion (yes, with a B) users. Now 500 million people with Yahoo accounts are trying to figure out what to do next… but they’re not the only ones. [More]
Verizon Employee Illegally Sold Customer Information For As Little As $50/Month
By 9.26.16
A Verizon Wireless employee has pleaded guilty to violating federal law by selling customer phone records and location data to a private investigator, starting at a measly $50 a month. [More]
NYC Says Verizon Defaulted On Its Agreement To Make FiOS Available Citywide
By 9.14.16 — Updated: 3.13.17
Ask just about anyone in New York City what they think of Time Warner Cable and you’ll probably hear swear words that aren’t anatomically possible. The city hoped to improve things by opening up the market to competition from Verizon FiOS in 2008, but more than a year after an audit called out FiOS for apparently failing to live up to its obligation, the city says Verizon has defaulted on its agreement, meaning the company could face legal action. [More]
PA Judge Fines Verizon $3,750 For Leaving Elderly Couple Hanging Without Phone Service
By 9.13.16
We’ll grant: landline telephones are not exactly the new hotness. Copper-wire service is, slowly, on its way out, and tends to be most preferred by older consumers. But just because millions of people have smartphones is no reason for any company to be jerks to senior citizens who do want to keep their legacy phone service, as Verizon is now paying for having done. [More]
Verizon Partners: Go90 A “Huge Dud,” “Far, Far Worse” Than Expected
By 9.9.16
Exactly one year ago, Verizon announced that it was jumping hard into the streaming-media biz, with a mobile-friendly service designed for the giant consumer base everyone apparently loves to hate, millennials. The company called it “go90,” helpfully reminding everyone that to watch TV on your phone, you need to turn it 90 degrees to the horizontal. But skeptics wondered: is this really going to, y’know, work? Will anyone watch? Will anyone care? And a year on, we seem to have our answer: nope. [More]
Verizon Wants To Sell App Installations On Your Phone To Advertisers
By 8.16.16
Space on your Android phone is for sale, if you’re a Verizon customer, and according to ad agency executives who have worked on such deals. Verizon activates an estimated 20 million new Android phones every year, so even a small amount per installation could add up for the mobile company, assuming that customers would tolerate it. Would they? [More]
T-Mobile Spent The Most On TV Ads Out Of All Major Carriers Last Month
By 8.10.16
If it seems like commercials for T-Mobile are everywhere, you aren’t wrong. Out of the four biggest mobile phone carriers, Big Magenta was the top spender on TV commercials in July, showing a spot for what the company called its “most epic deal ever” a total of 2,288 times on broadcast and cable TV. [More]
