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Verizon discontinuing all Usenet Newsgroup services?

PaulAndMuttley

I just read on the newsgroup sci.electronics.design that Verizon will be discontinuing all newgroup access in September. I know that recently it was limited to the Big 8, but now the word is that all access will be eliminated. If that is true, I am very disappointed and I feel it is a substantial reduction of the value that I agreed to pay for when I signed my FIOS contract in June. I never got any communication about this in the emails I have received from Verizon. Please tell me it isn't so!

Accepted answers

PaulAndMuttley

It seems that the Verizon News server still works as of 9/25/09, but I have signed up with www.teranews.com for a free Usenet account which requires only a single $3.95 one time setup fee. They also have a 100% free public server and they offer various levels of higher bandwidth and monthly usage limits for reasonable rates. So I guess it's not such a big deal, and now I also have access to the full gamut of usenet including alt and binaries. It's just a hassle to change once again to a new server.

All comments

SlicerDicer

Most are doing away with them like AT&T did... I guess you will have to pay for premium if you want it still.

Justin46

@PaulAndMuttley wrote:
Please tell me it isn't so!

Well, apparently it is so, here is a link to the Verizon announcement: Link

__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
QIP6416, IMG 1.6.2, Build 08.58
Keller, TX 76248

keshlam

Anyone have the address of Verizon's top brass handy?

Dear Sirs:

I am in receipt of http://www.verizon.net/promo/email_promos/tpe/newsgroup_discontinued/index.html, saying Verizon plans to discontinue Usenet (newsgroup) service. I want to register my displeasure in the strongest possible terms.

The "new services" (facebook et al) exist alongside Usenet, and are IN NO WAY a replacement for it, especially in the technical areas. I require Usenet access for business purposes, as well as for personal discussions in communities which existed long before the invention of the World Wide Web and which still maintain active nesgroups.

THIS IS ONE OF THE SERVICES I AM PAYING YOU FOR AS A VERIZON FIOS CUSTOMER. DISCONTINUING IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

dslr595148

Anyone have the address of Verizon's top brass handy?

Dear Sirs:

THIS IS ONE OF THE SERVICES I AM PAYING YOU FOR AS A VERIZON FIOS CUSTOMER. DISCONTINUING IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

***

Perhaps use http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/Support/ContactUs/

MsFjordstone

This is {word filter avoidance}. I just spoke to someone at customer service and asked them how much they were going to be adjusting my bill, since they were reducing my services, and 1) no one I spoke with even knew what the heck newsgroups (or Usenet) were; and 2) they seem to think they are justified in declaring that since we are not paying for it as a separate service item, it's not worth anything to us, and therefore we are not due any reduction on our bills.

I have a call into Presidential Resolutions right now. I'm sure they'll get back to me, but I'm equally sure we're not going to get them to budge on this. Verizon {word filter avoidance}

NielsBohr

I don't use newsgroups any more but isn't this all available on the web? Can't you use something like Google Groups?

MsFjordstone

GoogleGroups is a barely adequate way, at best, of accessing the newsgroups.

PaulAndMuttley

Google groups is certainly a poor option, especially with so much spam in Newsgroups. And there are some technical newsgroups that I rely on, such as the one where I first saw this announcement a full day before my official email from Verizon. I think Verizon should be required to maintain any services they offer for at least a year from the date of first notice of discontinuation. After all, I signed up with a one-year commitment in June, and they would hit me with a hefty cancellation fee if I broke the terms of my contract in September. So they, too, should pay a cancellation fee if they discontinue something I understood was included at the time I signed my contract. Separate usenet access is about $20 per year, so I should be able to deduct about $1.80 per month for the reduced value of my service. Perhaps I will have my attorney contact them. [edit] What happens if I just send them $1.80 less than the total each month?

dpbsmith

I do not understand and do not like Verizon's announcement that they are discontinuing USENET service effective September 30th. Anyone have any idea what would be the best channel for complaining?

ISP means "Internet service provider," not a "Web-only service provider" and USENET service is just one of many protocols and services an ISP should provide. I completely fail to see why I should pay extra money for some independent USENET service when USENET has been understood to be part of ISP's customary services for over a decade. Their argument about "reduced demand" makes no sense, because reduced demand means reduced load on their servers and less cost to them.

Dropping USENET support is like dropping email SMTP support and saying "well, use gmail or buy SMTP service at extra cost from some other vendor."

prisaz

Verizon dropped carrying most of the news groups a long while back, and only carried a few basic support groups from Verizon. The bandwidth from the Verizon News servers left much to be desired anyway, and could not keep up with or come close to FIOS speeds. With the Verizon Support Forums, I guess it makes no since to have Verizon News Groups for support, at least from a management standpoint. I used Giganews for a while and it could keep up with filling the FIOS pipe. It also had all the groups Verizon discontinued. Yes I was disappointed when Verizon dropped most of the major news groups, but like was pointed out, most users do not even know what a news group is, and the bad part is that many new CSRs and tech support people probably do not know what they are. Sad thing is that the News groups will probably go away just like the text based search engines like Archie and Veronica.

Now if Verizon starts blocking the News feeds from other providers, then that is sensorship and could have major protests! I will need to read more.

MsFjordstone

Replying to dpbsmith, there is an escalation customer service department in Pittsburgh. The local number is 412-497-0200. I used to have the toll-free number for that department, but I can't seem to put my hands on it right now. Maybe someone else can help.

The person from that department who called me back today gave me the same song-and-dance that "we don't charge for the newsgroups, so we can't refund you any money." I said, "By that token, you could stop providing mail servers, too, since that's not broken out as a separate charge." The bottom line was, this particular person -- who, amazingly, was old enough and 'net-savvy enough that he actually KNEW what newsgroups were -- could feel my pain, but couldn't really help me.

He did say, however, that if enough people complained, the brass might recognize that the service was valuable to a large enough segment of their customer base that they might reconsider. Of course, probably most people will simply complain on forums (or ironically, on Usenet). I encourage you all to give the escalation department a call and TELL THEM YOU WANT YOUR NEWSGROUPS. Again, that's 412-497-0200.

dslr595148

How about this website may help http://www22.verizon.com/wholesale/clecsupport/content/0,16835,east-wholesale-html-national_market_centers,00.html

somegirl

For anyone who may have accidentally deleted the email, Verizon's announcement about discontinuing Newsgroups can be found here:

http://www.verizon.net/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_announcement&id=newsgroups_discontinue

Unfortunately, that is all the information I have been able to find.

blegs38552

I am a Usernet user, but I am sure that we are a distinct minority of Verizon internet customers. I don't think I know more than a couple of people who even know that the Usernet , and they are I/T techies who have been in the filed for ages.

Having said that, as far as I am concerned, when Verizon trimmed down their service, it became useless to me in any case. I found an alternate service, Newsdemon, that is offering a 20% discount for Verizon users. I am paying $20.00 for a year with a 100 GB download limit (which includes the downloading of news headers for a newsgroup). I'll have to see how long that lasts for me.

Normally, if I can find what I am looking for on the internet, I do my download from there - the Usernet is always a last resort in any case.

PaulAndMuttley

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