All of Greenpoint Deserves FIOS

NEW INFORMATION:  Here in Greenpoint and in N. Brooklyn our kind Assemblyman Joseph Lentol has agreed to help those of us in his district get FIOS.

QUICK INSTRUCTIONS
If you want FIOS please contact SLAVA RAR (see contact info below) over at
Assemblyman Lentol's office and in doing so you'll need to provide him with
the following information:

1. Your name and ADDRESS (exact address like 123 Jones Street, not just a
street or intersections and a contact phone number
2. Your Landlord's First and Last Name and Contact Information for her or
him including a phone number OR
3. If you own your place then you'd state that and let Slava know the best
way you can be reached (phone, etc)

You can get this information to Slava by:
a. emailing him at rarr@assembly.state.ny.us
b. phoning Assemblyman Lentol's office at: 718-383-7474 and asking for Slava
c. by snail mailing the info to the office as follows:

Office Of Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol
Attn. Slava Rar
619 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

BACKGROUND

Some Greenpoint residents have had FIOS fast and reliable internet service for as long as 5 years. Others of us have been waiting all this time and still cannot get FIOS.  We have had to accept sub-par DSL service (frequently failing on old 1930s copper wires that Verizon refuses to upgrade) or other options that aren't so great either here. When FIOS came to Greenpoint, Verizon should have served the entire neighborhood, not most of the neighborhood except blocks like mine that were inconvenient or unimportant. This petition hopes to get Verizon to serve the rest of us.

On a good day I'm getting 1.8 Mbps and the cheapest FIOS would get me 50 Mbps for less money.  That's pretty significant! And crazy! I started this petition because I know many others here in Greenpoint are in the same sinking internet boat as I am and Verizon won't listen or help.  When actual Verizon techs suggested starting a petition (and contacting the news too!) since nobody at Verizon responds and they know it too, I listened! (Verizon techs, are great by the way--the complaint here is with the BIG company for being choosy about whom it serves!)

Background...

Initially Verizon service techs had been telling many of us that FIOS was just around the corner, that we'd have it in a few months at most.  I'd been hearing this for years and frankly 5 years is a LONG time to wait...and now Verizon has completely pulled out to serve more important clients. FIOS is NOT just around the corner for us--even though in some cases some of us live a block away from neighbors who have had FIOS for a year or much longer.

Verizon techs say that when a block or area is not a priority Verizon actually pulls all their equipment out and takes care of a more important neighborhood, more important clients. Those of us considered unimportant by Verizon (those of us who cannot get FIOS), we have all called Verizon to ask for FIOS. We've checked that website repeatedly, for years. Our landlords have called Verizon to request FIOS for our buildings. Nothing has worked.

The tonier blocks have service. The bigger condos have service.  But those of us on the edges or those of us living on the blocks that have commercial or industrial businesses still in place--are being ignored.  Now complaints go into a black vortex so taking this online seems to be the only way to make things happen.  Tech support is in India and complaints from Greenpoint are not in their pre-written scripts.  Some of us go weeks without internet service on antiquated equipment as we are (obviously) low priority. For now, we are low priority for FiOS.

Verizon techs said that we probably won't get FiOs until the big fancy condos come to Greenpoint and fill our waterfront.  THEN we'll get FIOS because we'll be right near those who matter to Verizon. Well, we ordinary folks matter NOW.  And we shouldn't have to wait a couple MORE years either--since they are not breaking ground on the new developments until Spring of 2014 and who knows how long it will take before the high-rises are up (and blocking our skyline). So listen up Verizon. We deserve FIOS too!  And soon!