Verizon faces customers’ wrath over poor Internet and phone service

Aug 4, Verizon faced complaints from customers and government officials about maintenance of its copper network in areas of New Jersey. Hearings were held by the NJ state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on Verizon service in rural parts of South Jersey, where the company hasn't upgraded its networks to fiber. About 200 "frustrated residents" attended and nearly 80 signed up to speak, airing their complaints for hours.

Theresa Duffy-Diamond of Cedarville (NJ) owns three businesses but complained that she has trouble running them because of how hard it is to make phone calls. She played a voicemail that she received—it contained "nothing but crackling sounds." 63-year-old John Dowling of Estell Manor, who suffers from a chronic lung disease and needs frequent medical attention, reported not being able to make phone calls from his landline when it rains. When he complains to Verizon, "four days later they would come out on a sunny day and say the lines are all clear," he said. A coalition of municipal and county governments asked the state to hold an evidentiary hearing to further investigate Verizon's copper maintenance. Cumberland County Counsel Ted Baker recently provided the BPU with more than 80 pages of complaints from residents.