N.Y. Commission Approves Verizon Plan to Fix FiOS Installs
Wants 45% of Electrical Problems Fixed By Year's End
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 10/15/2008 8:28:00 AM MT
The New York Public Service Commission has accepted, with modifications, the plan submitted by Verizon Communications Inc. to fix grounding problems with FiOS video installations that have been identified by state staff auditors.
The commission did not accept some of the more strict modifications to the plan that had been suggested by its own staff, such as barring the telco from installing new video customers in Manhattan until it fixed problems with older installation throughout the state.
The plan fixes ordered by the commission, for example, trims the amount of time Verizon has to fix a grounding problem once it is identified by inspectors. Verizon's plan called for 60 days but the commission said gigs should be fixed 10 days after they are identified.
The PSC commission stated that 45% of known electrical problems must be fixed by the end of the year; all known electrical problems should be fixed by May 31 of next year.
Verizon must now resubmit its plan, altered to reflect the modifications ordered by the state.
A PSC spokeswoman said some technical issues, such as a dispute over the equipment used by Verizon, will be addressed at a later date. State officials and Verizon have differing views whether inside installations of its fiber-optic terminals must be grounded, and if so, what level of grounding is acceptable.
