News Groups
Rick5472
Contributor - Level 2

Does Verizon FIOS still have free News Groups?  I tried news.verizon.net and nothing seems to work. 

0 Likes
Re: News Groups
Hubrisnxs
Legend

Verizon got rid of news groups earlier last year.

https://my.verizon.com/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_announcement&id=newsgroups_...


Announcements
 
 
 
 
 
IMPORTANT - Verizon newsgroup service to be discontinued.
 
 

Newsgroups were initially developed as a text-based way to share information on the Internet. Today, demand for newsgroups is much lower, since most users have switched to more exciting ways of getting and sharing information via the Web, such as social networks, email and sites such as our Verizon Central Newsroom.

Because of the reduced demand for newsgroups, on September 30, 2009, Verizon will discontinue its USENET newsgroup service. Subscribers will not be able to post or download material from the Verizon newsgroup service after this date.

INFORMATION ABOUT VERIZON'S ELIMINATION OF ITS NEWSGROUP SERVICE

1. When will Verizon discontinue its newsgroup service?

The service will be discontinued on September 30, 2009. After this date, Verizon's Newsgroup service will no longer be active.

2. If I want to continue to access newsgroups, what are my options?

There are several commercial newsgroup providers that you can consider. You may want to review some options at www.newsgroupreviews.com. The available content, posting policies, terms and prices (if applicable) will vary, so you should select the one that is right for you. If you elect to access a non-Verizon newsgroup service over the Verizon network, our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy will still apply to your use of our Internet service.

3. Are any changes to my software required?

Yes. You will need to do two things. First, you will need to remove the verizon.net USENET newsgroup service from your newsreader software. Second, if you want to continue accessing newsgroups, you will need to configure your newsreader software to connect to your new newsgroup service. Follow your new service provider's instructions for accessing their newsgroup service.

The following link explains how to unsubscribe to Newsgroups in Outlook Express:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/171190

4. Will this change to the newsgroup service affect my Verizon Internet service? This change will not affect your ability to use your Verizon Internet service or other commercial newsgroup services, and there will not be any change to the price you pay for your Verizon High Speed Internet or Verizon FiOS Internet service.


Re: News Groups
jginnane
Newbie

When Vz first dropped the binaries, it was after a spate of "kiddie porn"posts across the whole area, and the posts seemed to vanish almost immediately after Vz used this as their pretext for killing the binary groups.  Coincidence?  Hmm...

So, youll have to pay an extra $x per month for a premium newsgroup provider.  I pay $15 a month to a reseller of giganews.com, and have never had a throttling issue or massive incompletes -- something that used to happen here with great regularity.  My provider keeps over 3 years' worth of binary posts online.

Note that when the Vz wireless division can kill kids with massive charges for 2-3 GB of data a month, it's kinda crazy that a 25GB FIOS connection can easily grab over half a terabyte a month: I'm consistently getting 200+MB of data every day, 24/7.

Also note -- Usenet is a leecher's dream, provided you know what newsgroups have what you want.  You'll need an offline reader program.  My favorite has always been NewsbinPro.

Visit slyck.com for some usenet / newsgroup tutorials, and to help understand the difference between this and peer-to-peer programs.

0 Likes