STATE BY STATE FIBER OPTIC FAILURE

 

AT&T, Verizon & CenturyLink State-By-State Fiber Optic  Broadband and Accounting States Covered

The following is a collection of states where we a) Did research for a project b) it was part of a filing,  c)  tied to an action in a state, or d) we did research for an article or the books. This work was usually done with a team under the names New Networks Institute, (1992-) Teletruth (2001-2013) an the IRREGULATORS (2014–)

Overview Report: The History, Financial Commitments and Outcomes of Fiber Optic Broadband Deployment in America: 1990-2004:  The Wiring of Homes, Businesses, Schools, Libraries, Hospitals and Government Agencies

The FCC tasked the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) to do “an analysis of the public statements of companies as to their future plans to deploy and upgrade broadband networks as well as an historical evaluation of the relationship between previous such announcements and actual deployment”. The FCC adds that the focus is on data analysis of “investment plans and deployment figures of upgraded broadband infrastructure in this century.”

Partial Coverage of States:

$200 Billion Broadband Scandal

Published in 2006, if covers 1992-2004 fiber optic deployments in America,  as well as the mergers. The book gives summary histories of the following states:

  • AT&T California (Pacific Bell),
  • Verizon New Jersey (New Jersey Bell), 
  • AT&T Texas (Southwestern Bell TX) Verizon Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Bell) and
  • Verizon Massachusetts (New England Telephone, MA)

California

Kansas

FCC Chairman Pai Gets an “F” for Fake History of Broadband: Ever Hear of TeleKansas?

Former Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai claimed he came from rural Kansas and yet, he never once mentioned that AT&T -Souwestern Bell Kansas, had a plan called “TeleKansas” that was supposed bring fiber optics to rural areas, starting in 1994, and these upgrades were pai for via rate increases. And yet, Pai rewrote the history of fiber optic broadband and specifically never mentioned anything about these network upgrades of the state utility.

We even  excerpt  a report written for Southwestern Bell, Kansas (now AT&T) in 1994 to highlight the upcoming deployment of fiber optics. And the report clearly laid out the new ways this upgrade of the state utility would be used for medicine, education, and consumer services— especially in rural areas.

Michigan

Michigan Ameritech FiberOptic story,

Investigate AT&T & Michigan Bell– And Go After the Billions Collected before Any New Government Subsidies.

Michigan Bell coverage is over 85% of the State’s population and is the primary telecommunications public state utility that let the entire state’s infrastructure deteriorate but got paid for upgrades over and over again; It unlawfully took the money to cross subsidize the buildout of its wireless infrastructure and even sold off the fiber build outs for cablesystems that were underway. The copper networks should have been fiber — throughout the state. They created the Digital Divide. 

Ameritech Fact Book 1993

And the hype was everywhere to offer advanced cable TV.  According to the Chicago Tribunes, January 1994: “Ameritech’s Fiber Plan; Data Links For Homes, Schools, Businesses”

“Ameritech will announce a plan Thursday to spend close to $5 billion installing optical fiber to bring the information superhighway to Midwest homes, schools and businesses…. The construction will center on six metropolitan areas in the five states in which Ameritech provides local telephone service-Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio-and will extend over many years…The announcement will present Ameritech’s vision of its role in the next century’s information industry, an answer to other regional phone companies, such as Bell Atlantic and US West, that are tying their futures to those of cable-TV firms.”

This was high-quality broadband fiber optic-based services, capable of delivering high-definition television services and interactive information and communication services in both directions. (over 45mbps).

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts Broadband and Accounting Scandal
  • New Networks filed a complaint in 1999 over the failure of Verizon to live up to the commitments it had made to upgrade 330,000 lines with fiber optic networks by 2000, We also filed multiple times and wrote a series of reports and articles about the massive financial cross subsidy scheme and the failure of the state to hold the company accountable.

Mississippi

AT&T’s Track Record for Broadband in Mississippi: A String of Broken Promises.

This post laid out the history and failure to properly upgrade the what is now AT&T MI, previously part of BellSouth. Missisippi had changes in the laws to do fiber upgrades and got government subsidies to even do broadband in low income areas, but the holding company — BellSouth-then AT&T purchasing BellSouth never succeeded in bringing basic broadband to all areas of the state– as was part of the AT&T-BellSouth commitments — to be completed by 2007.

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

Verizon Pennsylvania, like New Jersey was originallly owned by Bell Atlantic, then was then taken over by Verizon, the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. In 1994, a plan was approved to upgrade 100% of the utility territory with fiber optic wires that would be deployed in urban suburban and rural areas and completed by 2015. New Networks and Teletruth filed a complaint with the state in 2002 because no upgraded had been done and customers were overcharged at least $1000 per line. As the IRREGULATORS our research also showed massive financial cross-subsidies.

in 2019 and 2021 our research was presented as part of Testimony to the Pennsylvania State Senate Communications and Technology Committee

Tennessee

Tennessee: One State’s Creation of the Digital Divide by Now-AT&T-Tennessee (AKA —South Central Bell, BellSouth), Oct. 11, 2022

Because of all of the federal subsidies, we started to investigate various states — with the same story — no one knows that thee were and are state telecom utilities; the pandemic hit — so let’s give them more money, not knowing the history.

  • In 1990, the state of Tennessee had a “Master Plan” to upgrade the State’s telecommunications networks to fiber optic broadband, and the State changed regulations to give what is now AT&T-Tennessee excess profits to do this new construction.

No Mention of AT&T in Tennessee or in Any State Broadband Agency.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Fiber Optic Failure

in 2007, Teletruth Wisconsin was created to block a piece of legislation that would give AT&T Wisconsin a state-wide franchise to offer video services, with the claim this would also speed up  upgrading to fiber optics. It was started when it was reported that a) AT&T Wisconsin was using dead people as backers of their proposed legislation, and b) adding people who were adamantly against the bill as someone who endorsed the legislation.

Fact Sheet: Wisconsin Ameritech Fiber Optic story  We estimate the Wisconsin/Ameritech/SBC/AT&T was able to garner $3-$5 billion in excess phone rates and tax perks for a fiber optic service customers never received.

Wisconsion COMPLAINT 2009 Request for an Investigation of Wisconsin’s Broadband Deployment and Customer Funding.

  • Ameritech, under the federal video-dialtone (advanced cable) filings, made statements that it would be rewiring its entire territory, including Wisconsin, with fiber to the home services.  According to Ameritech, the company would start with 146,000 homes in Milwaukee Wisconsin, with services capable of 390 channels. And have 6 million homes by 2000.
  • At the same time, Ameritech Wisconsin created the “Information Superhighway” commitments to spend $700 million dollars on schools, libraries, hospitals, etc.

     

    •