DSL plans of Verizon questioned by congressman
Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) decision to couple its DSL service with landline service for new customers and those seeking to change service plans has drawn the attention of U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) who had some pointed questions for the carrier.
"What are Verizon's plans for its DSL network? Does the company plan to continue investing in network maintenance and upgrades? What was the reason behind Verizon's recent decision to couple 'standalone DSL' service with voice service for new subscribers or those subscribers seeking to make change to their service?" Doyle asked in a letter to Verizon.
Verizon has shifted its focus--some say to the benefit of competing wireline cable operators--to a fixed LTE Home Fusion product for areas where FiOS is not an option. This, critics say, strands those subscribers who don't mind the lower DSL speeds and do like the lower DSL costs.
Doyle linked his questions with Verizon's efforts to acquire wireless spectrum from a group of cable operators and, at the same time, enter into a joint marketing agreement with those operators.