New Networks Institute, Teletruth and the IRREGULATORS, 1999-2022

Reports, Complaints, Proposals, Filings and Testimony in NYC and NY State.

HALT THE NYC WIFI PLAN CLUSTERFORK; INVESTIGATE VERIZON NY’S MASSIVE ACCOUNTING SCANDAL

The NY City Council had a hearing on the LinkNYC Kiosks and the addition of 5G “cantennas” held on June 7th, 2023.

We submitted Testimony (written)

The IRREGULATORS summary of our NY City Council filing:

The Verizon Fiber Optic History of New York State and NYC.

What happens when you cross-reference the City’s actions with this Verizon NY financial information? At the core:

The IRREGULATORS demand an immediate investigation of Verizon’s participation in one of the largest accounting scandals in American history.

The LinkNYC Wireless plan is another wireless bait and switch.

CURRENT: On March 18th, 2022, the IRREGULATORS filed 2 Comments with the NY Public Service Commission pertaining to broadband in the state and the Digital Divide .

• Cover Letter
• Comment 1
• Comment 2

TO: STATE OF NY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE RE: MATTER NO. 21-02182 – In the Matter of the Commission’s Broadband Study and Mapping Pursuant to the Broadband Connectivity Act.

HISTORIC

• Predatory Pricing Examined, With Bway.net and Panix ISPS
• Complaint Against Bell Atlantic, New York. 12-22-99
• Bell Predatory ADSL Pricing Examined 12-22-99
• Testimony: The Two Broadbands: How New York City Got Conned,
• Before the Joint Hearing on Municipal Broadband Policy and its Relationship to Small Business and Community-Based Development Presentation to the New York City Council on broadband issues, 2002. Testimony Bruce Kushnick
• http://irregulators.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NYCspeechfin.pdf
• The Importance of the Internet Provider to the Future of NYC’s Broadband, 2002 Testimony by Joe Plotkin, before City Council of New York Select Committee on Technology in Government and the Subcommittee on Small Business, Retail, and Emerging Industries
• http://www.teletruth.org/docs/PlotkinTestimonyNYCCouncil..pdf
• Request To Complete Audits Of Verizon New York, Based On FCC’s Continuing Property Record Audits Of The Bell Companies & GTE 8/22/02
• TeleTruth (and New Networks Institutute) is requesting an investigation into Verizon’s alleged multi-billion dollar accounting discrepancies. The complaint was filed today in the three states, NY, New Jersey and Massachusetts, with the respective Public Service Commissions and state Attorney General’s offices.
• Is Verizon Charging New Yorkers For “VAPORWARE” Costing $2.5 Billion?— Filed 3/21/01 NNI filed a series of complaints with the NY State Attorney General’s Office and the NY Public Service Commission requesting that these regulators audit the Bell Companies for “vaporware” — billions of dollars of phone company equipment that is either missing or was never purchased. These filings are directly based on FCC audit data.
• REPORT: Verizon Harms Phone Customers, Competitors, New York State Economic Growth and it’s Own Staffers 3/21/01
• NNI Files with NY State and Federal Officials to Investigate Communications Workers of America’ (CWA) Report Findings. The report’s claims against Verizon include the falsification of company service quality data, inaccurate information, possible consumer fraud for inside wire maintenance plans, deterioration of the current phone networks, lack of experienced management, lack of proper training, and harm to company whistleblowers trying to call attention to the problems.
• Petition FCC with Texas ISP Asc. FCC Adopt Broadband Bill of Rights, 2003
• http://www.newnetworks.com/PRISPPETITIONS.html
• Complaint with the NY Commission over Communications Workers of America (CWA) staff and construction cuts affecting phone/ broadband, 2002
• http://www.teletruth.org/docs/NYCCommentsaboutcwa.doc
• BroadBand Bill of Rights
• http://teletruth.org/Broadband%20Bill%20of%20Rights.htm
• Video: Testimony:  NYC Broadband Advisory Committee, May 22^nd 2007
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCnhZmprFSA
• 1 Gigibit Broadband Plan for NY State, Open Infrastructure Alliance, 2008
• http://irregulators.org/gigplannystate/
• NNI Report for Public Utility Law Project. It was used as part of the Connect NY Coalition’s Petition with the State of NY over Verizon’s cross-subsidies.
• http://newnetworks.com/2014/07/connectnypetition/
• Complaint and Call for investigation of Comcast and Time Warner Cable,
• quoted by Mayor deBlasio’s merger filing with NY State.
• http://newnetworks.com/complainttimewarnercomcast
• 2013: Proposal Survey NYC’s Small Businesses for Broadband
• http://irregulators.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NYcproposaldanaNKchucknov12Bk.pdf
• 2015: A Truly Bold Plan for New York City’s Broadband Future
• The NYC Mayor’s Office of Tech & Innovation has asked for bold ideas & innovation to “help bring high speed Internet to all New Yorkers”, including “more choices among ISPs”, and “expanded service to underserved communities”, which may require “policy changes”.
• http://irregulators.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NYCproposalNNI.pdf

Decade of Examination: Verizon NY Reports & Filings, 2010-

New York is the only state that requires a full financial annual report. Starting in 2010, NNI’s team started to find some unsettling financial transactions and business practices, which we later uncovered was happening in every state.

• Verizon’s State-Based Financial Issues & Tax Losses: The Destruction of America’s Telecommunications Utilities
• In 2010, NNI started an investigation of the financial books of five Verizon’s state-based utility phone companies, including Verizon New York and Verizon New Jersey and the ties to Verizon Communications affiliate companies, (subsidiaries) including Verizon Wireless, Verizon Online, Verizon Services, among others. Published in 2012
• Verizon Wireless and the Other Verizon Affiliate Companies Are Harming Verizon New York’s (The State-based Utility) Customers & the State.
• In September 2013, our next report focused on Verizon New York and was the centerpiece of a filing by Common Cause, Consumer Union, CWA, and the Fire Island Association, which called for an investigation of Verizon’s financials and business practices, Alexander Goldman, Esq. co-authored the report.
• “It’s All Interconnected”,
• In May 2014, Public Utility Law Project, (PULP) published “It’s all Interconnected”, written by New Networks (with assistance by David Bergmann, Esq.) and it relied on unexamined data from Verizon New York using different Verizon supplied financials books.
• The Verge: Game of Phones: How Verizon is playing the FCC and its customers, May 2014
• The Connect New York Coalition, filed a Petition with the NY State Public Service Commission to do a formal investigation of Verizon New York. July 1, 2014. The Petition is based, in part, on NNI’s continuing research.
• Coalition members include AARP, Consumer Union, Common Cause, CWA, and NY state politicians.
• NNI & IRREGULATOR FILINGS, NYPSC: August 8^th, 2017, we submitted 3 documents: Comment 1 has a short overview as well as a bibliography of our research, which is directly tied to this proceeding. It also gives a brief discussion of issues that have been overlooked or are missing and need to be part of the next steps the State should be implementing. Comment 2 is a more detailed view (that has been published in Huffington Post) of the current proceeding and a Verizon settlement. Comment 3 is a full report based on our analysis of the Verizon NY’s 2016 Annual Report.
• COMMENT 1: Overview and bibliography
• COMMENT 2: Huffington Post: Verizon NY in Multi-Billion Dollar Settlement Tangle, Underway in NY State, August 4th 2017
• COMMENT 3: Full Report: Verizon NY 2016 Annual Report: Follow the Money: Financial Analysis and Implications.
• Verizon New York 2017 Annual Report: An Analysis of Cross-Subsidies and Customer Overcharging
• DESCRIPTION: This report, based on the Annual Report, shows that there is a utility and that it is hemorrhaging money because of the FCC.
• Verizon NY Settlement Story, July 2018. The investigation concluded and Verizon NY settled the case. Estimated at $300-500 million dollars, the settlement called for an estimated 30,000 lines of fiber optics to be installed and the existing copper networks maintained.

Other New York Articles and Filings

• Dear Reimagine NY: Governor Cuomo’s Broadband Plan Is Broken. Let’s Fix It.
• Charter, (Spectrum) Altice (Optimum) and Verizon’s FiOS Cable TV Franchises Expired in NYC. Do Not Renew but Investigate — Finally.
• Letter to Mayor De Blasio: NYC Must Call for a Halt to the Billion+ Dollars of Cross-Subsidies and Overcharging by Verizon NY, the NY State Public Telecommunications Utility
• New York City Internet Master Plan Is Missing Key Components: IRREGULATORS v FCC
• Verizon’s NY City FiOS franchise has expired. Do not renew it until 100% has been upgraded to fiber optics. This letter was sent September 24^th, 2020 requesting that the City hold Verizon accountable to finish NYC 100% with FiOS coverage, as stated in the agreement. In November, 2020, the City used the approach outlined in our letter.

FIXING TELECOM REPORTS: 2015-

How the FCC Accounting Formulas Overcharge America

• Report 1: Executive Summary: Verizon’s Manipulated Financial Accounting & the FCC’s Big “Freeze”

• Report 2: Full Data Report