Dear Keith;
Thanks for the suggestions about dealing with the behemoth, Verizon.
Verizon has been responsive to our complaint. It shouldn't take that long
to accomplish the upgrades; but the company will be keeping us posted. We
have a point person assigned to this upgrade, because Verizon does not want
to see us refile our complaint.
I think there are two reasons why the company decided to avoid further
state-level efforts, and they are intertwined. The first is that Town
Counsel, Jeremia Pollard, filed a similar complaint for another town, and
fought the company to a stand still. That case took five years to reach its
conclusion, wherein Verizon was forced to upgrade its infrastructure. That
set a precedent, and indicates that if a town has reasonable grounds,
Verizon will likely incur significant legal expenses to arrive at an
undesirable (for them) outcome.
The second reason (and this is not supported by my personal knowledge) is
that Verizon's infrastructure is shaky not just in Warwick, but in many
surrounding towns, and Verizon does not want this case to develop into
something much more widespread, which would force them to invest a great
deal of money. I don't know this for a fact, but it makes sense. I don't
believe the infrastructure in surrounding towns is any newer, or in better
shape, than ours. The company probably doesn't want to run that risk; hence
they'll settle with us to avoid a bigger problem.
Keith, I also want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for your service
as an assessor. The first time I met you, six years ago, was at a party at
Tom and Reva's house. In the middle of the party you got down on your
knees, tears in your eyes, and begged me to take your place as assessor.
You grabbed onto my legs and wailed pitiably, and I was kicking at you,
"Get him off me!" and people had to pull you away.
So thank you again for being an assessor. I know you secretly take great
pleasure in your duties, and I hope you continue to serve for many many
years to come.
Your selectman,
Doc Pruyne
On Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 8:58 AM, Keith Ross <kross3594@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Great Doc. Hopefully the Selectboard have set up a series of benchmarks
that verizon needs to achieve and report to the town. Perhaps every three
months they let you know the progress on a defined set of activities so if
you do not see progress you can refile the complaint? Otherwise they will
have three years to do nothing before the town can take action again?
On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 9:28 PM, Lawrence Pruyne <docpruyne@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Great news, Warwickians!
The meeting scheduled for Wednesday in the Town Hall, an opportunity to
air your many grievances about the terrible service of Verizon, is canceled.
The town's complaint against Verizon, filed with the state Dept. of
Telecommunications, has resulted in a scheduled upgrade in Verizon's
infrastructure in Warwick.
Verizon will be installing fiber optic cable from the center in Orange to
the junction box near the old fire station. That's eight miles or so, a
very significant expenditure. That box is also being replaced with a new
state-of-the-art box, so the switches will all be mint.
This is the best outcome we could have hoped for. It avoids costly
litigation of the complaint, and we will see upgrades of the equipment that
has caused our communication problems. If service does not improve,
however, our complaint can be re-opened and proceed to the next step,
without penalty.
It will take some time for these upgrades in equipment, so improvements
in service may not be apparent for some months; but in the meantime, take
heart and bask in the knowledge that Warwick, again, has kicked some major
butt!
Enjoy your moments, my fellow townspeople, and please do cavort about the
maypole if the opportunity arises.
Your selectman,
Doc Pruyne
--
Keith Ross
5 Chestnut Hill
<https://maps.google.com/?q=5+Chestnut+Hill+Warwick,+MA%C2%A0+01378&entry=gmail&source=g>
Warwick, MA 01378
<https://maps.google.com/?q=5+Chestnut+Hill+Warwick,+MA%C2%A0+01378&entry=gmail&source=g>
978-544-5767 (W)
978-544-2181 (H)
617-371-7316 (Cell)
888-544-6141 (fax)
kross3594@xxxxxxxxx
