Letter To Editor, Argus Press
January 4th, 2006 | by christine |This letter was published in the Argus Press of Tuesday, January 3, 2006.
A bum connection
Be advised that if you are a business owner hoping to get a fast Internet connection line run into your facility, I recommend you do not go through AT&T or Verizon.
I operated a wireless Internet service provider (ISP) business in the rural area around Byron and relied on constant service to the Internet via that connection, that we might provide our clients, in turn, with reliable service. This has not been the case.
After going “live†on Nov. 3, 2005, we were down every day for at least two hours at a time. The times were random, which shows it was not for daily maintenance. In addition, there were four incidents I can recall where we were down for at least 24 hours at a time. Four in just short of two months? We were promised a technician each time…and each time, none arrived. Because of this, we lost clients, lost installations, and now the owner of the ISP, Avantek, is pulling the plug, packing up shop, and taking the toys home; all because it appears AT&T could not hold up its end of the bargain.
Yesterday (Dec. 28), I woke up to a downed Internet connection. I called AT&T and was informed they were working on it. Being in a technical field, I understand there will be downtimes. I accepted this and continued on with my day. Then at 7 p.m. that day, I called again. They promised to dispatch a technician. None arrived.
I called again at 10:50 p.m. They said a technician was scheduled for 11 p.m. At 11:15 p.m., I called again as no technician had yet arrived. They promised it would be within the hour. At 12:30 a.m., I called again as no technician had arrived. This continued and as of noon on Dec. 29, still no technician.
AT&T now says that Verizon had not dispatched because they couldn’t contact an available technician. On an earlier occasion, they informed me my problem had been placed with a company vice president. Well, that helps. How about placing it with a technician or someone who can wear the toolbelt rather than with a paper-pusher? Is this possible? It seems to me a company as large as Verizon and AT&T should be able to put their heads together to get someone out here with a meter and a pair of wire snips, a crimp tool, and a screwdriver.
Verizon even went so far on one of the incidents to tell AT&T that we do not have Internet connection termination equipment here. That’s news to us, as we spent a day installing it and running the necessary diagnostics, and were even “talking†on it for about a week or two prior to that.
Because of their delay, multiple clients in the area are suddenly without Internet and will be forced to revert back to dial-up, and I am out of a job. To me, this is unacceptable. I hope you all feel the same.
 
Jeremy Ellwood, Byron
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeremy Ellwood and his step-father own and operate Technical Transitions which formerly installed Internet service for rural clients and now serves clients in computer consulting and construction.
