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Geek Guard to the Rescue
Ant sends a link about the Geek Guard proposal that is floating around. Supposedly technology companies would form the backbone of a fast-response technology force. But Verizon was and is part of the problem with regard to communications, not part of the solution. A lot of technically-inclined people and groups like NYC Wireless did assist in lower Manhattan after Sept. 11, and they're still helping out businesses and people with no internet/phone connections and not even an ETA from Verizon on when Verizon might get around to hooking them up. If Verizon fulfilled their Geek Guard duties with all the rapidity that they, say, install DSL lines for competing DSL providers, they would have "rescheduled" their disaster response three times and we'd have an appointment for early November right now.
If there was any alternative I would use them. Since April, I have been waiting for them to pull a fibre for our T3. Our entire business has been down. Their damn switching office that they have to pull it from is right accross the parking lot from our office.
April! It is now October. Last month some idiot from Verizon finally came and pulled that fibre. Big job, down near a man hole on the block their building is, and up over a few poles. Must have taken a whole 2 friggen hours. The guy pulls it to the wrong friggen building.
Two weeks ago, they send him back. Yes, he gets the address right this time. Way to go Homer. I bet his wife has to tell him to check his nuts when he leaves in the morning to make sure he hasn't left them behind.
Oh, glory, he even gets it up to where the termination and router has been waiting, sitting on the wall, since April. That's all he does. Seems he's not permitted to do anything else. So time for the brain trust.
Last week, dummy 2 arrives, looks at the wall, and scratches his ass for a bit. Seems there is a problem. Nobody tipped the bloody fibre. Dummy 2 doesn't do this, and dummy 1 was lucky he could even find the building, even though it is right accross the street. Maybe it's a union thing. Well, a dummy 3 is needed to tip the fibre so dummy 2 can plug it into the socket. Gee, wouldn't it have been brighter to train Homer over there to do a complete job rather than have three seperate idiots?
As of today, the fibre is still dark. Dummy 3, you see, also went to the wrong address, and a different one at that! Dummy 3 can't come out later today because he's only allowed to make one visit per day. No sir, Verizon isn't the sort of company that after f**king up a job for 6 months would trouble itself to have somebody work a little overtime to fix anything. Monday, you see, is also Columbus day. Maybe we will see Moe Tuesday, and after that Larry can come by later to plug in the tipped fibre.
So, you see, having them f**k the rest of lower Manhatten is probably just normal business practice for them.
Email requests for assistance to wtcreliefrequest@nycwireless.net
Please only send direct request from the affected organizations and individuals.
If you have resources and would like to contribute, the following would be useful:
Email offers to wtcreliefoffer@nycwireless.net
NYCwireless has been very busy working with the affected businesses and organizations in New York. We apologize if we do not respond to every email offering support.
Everyone is welcome to use the latest public NYCwireless access point at Tompkins square park or other NYCwireless locations, especially those affected by the WTC attacks.
Thanks,
--Terry Schmidt
NYCwireless
Although I work for a subsidiary of Verizon, I am no particular friend -- but I feel I should say this.
Give Verizon a friggin' break here! They've rebuilt an entire telecommunications network in lower Manhattan from scratch -- on the order of 100k+ lines! Photos have been circulated internally of the West St. switching station -- this being the one that had the antenna mast from the WTC pierce it when it fell -- and the equipment is more or less completely replaced now. And they had the NYSE up and running so they could open a week after the attacks. And all of this is in addition to all the emergency communications needs.
That's a pretty formidible task. Even if they are your bitterest enemy, this is an amazing performance.