Verizon FIOS Double Play (Internet and TV) Contract and Verizon Landline Service

I have had a Verizon residential landline (copper wire) for the past few years. I ordered a FIOS Double Play bundle (Internet and TV) that was just installed at the same residence. As part of the FIOS Double Play bundle I have been asked to sign a Verizon Online Terms of Service Agreement (V-9.3 Effective 6/19/2009), but I have a concern about Section 6.2 of this Agreement:

Section 6.2. Changes to your local voice telephony service. If you change your local telephone company or discontinue your local telephone service, we may in our discretion either terminate your Service or continue to provide Broadband Service without local Verizon voice service at the then-current rates, terms and conditions applicable to your new Service plan and you agree to pay any new or higher monthly fee that may apply to your new Service plan. If we elect to terminate your Service under this Section 6.2, then we reserve the right to charge any early termination fees and to apply the Equipment return terms under Section 9.

We are planning to convert our Verizon residential landline to a Verizon Wireless cell-phone. If I do this will Verizon terminate my FIOS service or charge me a higher fee for the FIOS service?

Accepted answers

UBHappy

Thanks for the reply jmw1950.

I did some more investigation about this issue and here is what I found:

1) I spoke with two separate Verizon customer service agents (Samantha, Cody) and they gave me the same response. The said that the “local telephone company” and the “local telephone service” in this contract only refers to services offered through Verizon Online. If I purchased a FIOS Triple Bundle (TV+Internet+Phone) from Verizon Online, Section 6.2 of the Online Terms of Service Agreement would apply. Since I purchased the Double Play (TV+Internet), Section 6.2 does not apply.

They explained that Verizon landline services and FIOS services are offered through two different Verizon companies. They said that my FIOS billing through my Verizon landline phone bill is only a convenience. If I drop my landline phone service, Verizon Online would then bill me direct.

2) I carefully re-read the Online Terms of Service Agreement, and could not find a definition of “local telephone company”, “local voice telephony service” or “local telephone service”; however Section 2 (Definitions and Changes to Service) of the Agreement refers to bundle phone services including Verizon Freedom Value, Verizon Freedom Essentials, and FiOS Digital Voice; these VoIP (voice over internet phone) services are only offered through Verizon Online (FIOS) and are not available from the Verizon landline company.

3) The FIOS Bundle Customer Agreement, which I also signed as a new FIOS customer, identifies the separate Verizon affiliated companies that provide services in my area:

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING LOCAL VOICE AND/OR VIDEO SERVICE: Pennsylvania Verizon Pennsylvania Inc.

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING INTERNET EQUIPMENT, VIDEO EQUIPMENT AND INTERNET SERVICE: Verizon Online Pennsylvania Partnership

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING LONG DISTANCE SERVICE: Bell Atlantic Communications, Inc. d/b/a Verizon Long Distance

Thus it is now clear to me that the Verizon landline company is a separate entity from the Verizon FIOS company. The Online Terms of Service Agreement is clearly limited to Verizon Online LLC and its affiliate, Verizon Online Pennsylvania Partnership. This confirms what I was told by the Verizon customer service representatives.

Conclusion

I now believe that the Section 6.2 of the Online Terms of Service Agreement only refers to phone services offered by Verizon Online and not the Verizon landline company. As such, Section 6.2 only affects customers who have signed up for a FIOS bundle that includes FIOS phone service. Since Section 6.2 does not affect me, I signed the Agreement yesterday.

I would recommend that Verizon Online make this point easier to understand in Section 6.2 of their Agreement.

All comments

jmw1950

You might want to talk to the regulatory agency in your state (Public Utilities Commission, Corporation Commission etc). I don't think what Verizon is asking you to do is legal. Unless your telephone service is on the same contract/bill and/or package with FiOS, what you have is a tie in between a regulated service, and unregulated services. In general, that is a violation of Antitrust laws, and my experience is that most State's Public Utilities Commissions won't allow it.

I know I raised this issued with the Corporation Commission and Qwest when I lived in Arizona, and the Arizona Corporation Commission's response was to force Qwest to make some serious changes in how they did business, and prevent them from linking regulated and unregulated services unless they were in the same contract (for example Verizon 'Triple Play').

I have a Verizon Bundle with FiOS TV and Internet, and while the Landline is with Verizon, they are billed separately, and my landline remains copper (although the wiring to convert it to FiOS is in place). I didn't have to agree to anything associated with my landline to get the bundle.

So I suspect even if you sign the agreement, it may be unenforceable. I'd call the Public Utilities Commission and ask some questions.

UBHappy

Thanks for the reply jmw1950.

I did some more investigation about this issue and here is what I found:

3) The FIOS Bundle Customer Agreement, which I also signed as a new FIOS customer, identifies the separate Verizon affiliated companies that provide services in my area:

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING LOCAL VOICE AND/OR VIDEO SERVICE: Pennsylvania Verizon Pennsylvania Inc.

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING INTERNET EQUIPMENT, VIDEO EQUIPMENT AND INTERNET SERVICE: Verizon Online Pennsylvania Partnership

VERIZON AFFILIATE PROVIDING LONG DISTANCE SERVICE: Bell Atlantic Communications, Inc. d/b/a Verizon Long Distance

Conclusion

I would recommend that Verizon Online make this point easier to understand in Section 6.2 of their Agreement.

knutor

@UBHappy wrote:

Conclusion
I now believe that the Section 6.2 of the Online Terms of Service Agreement only refers to phone services offered by Verizon Online and not the Verizon landline company. As such, Section 6.2 only affects customers who have signed up for a FIOS bundle that includes FIOS phone service. Since Section 6.2 does not affect me, I signed the Agreement yesterday.

I would recommend that Verizon Online make this point easier to understand in Section 6.2 of their Agreement.

I agree with you, UBHappy. But I doubt they will do anything.

They would have us believe they are seperate entities, when it benefits them. And one entity, when it benefits them. I don't really know what they are anymore.