Verizon Freezes DSL
Sales in Select U.S. Markets

Regional Bell Operating Company temporarily stops selling DSL access from 53 Central Office facilities citing capacity issues are incapable of supporting business and residential demand for high-speed services.

by Jim Wagner of internetnews.com [February 10, 2001]

Verizon Communications Friday morning closed down digital subscriber line sales at 53 central offices in its network, citing capacity issues as the reason behind knocking off new sales.

Officials downplayed the sales freeze, saying it affected only 35 percent of its 1,850 COs in 30 states.

Larry Plumb, Verizon spokesperson, said the capacity issue at older GTE central office locations is being dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with no firm completion date for the fix to be complete.

"It's a temporary suspension of sales due to capacity issues," Plumb said. "Sometimes it can last for a week, sometimes longer than that, but we don't expect any backlog to develop from it."

In a letter sent out to its wholesale customers—primarily Internet service providers and competitive local exchange carriers—Verizon officials said anyone who tries to pre-certify a phone number serving one of the closed COs in the network will not qualify.

"Demand for DSL in areas served by these offices has significantly exceeded supply of (DSL Access Multiplexer) equipment. Therefore, the offices will not accept new DSL orders until supply can catch up to demand."

It's welcome news to the many customers in Verizon territory who have experienced problems with DSL services. Many feel problems with high-speed Internet access is due to a crowded network, exacerbated by the phone company's continued sale of new DSL accounts.

Problems are so prevalent that consumers and businesspeople have joined together to call Verizon to task.

New Networks Institute, a telecom watchdog organization, held a public meeting on the fifth anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, where Bruce Kushnick introduced a Broadband Bill of Rights. The petition demands that U.S. legislators and court system look into service complaints about incumbent carriers like Verizon.

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