Verizon Wireless wins bragging rights this month as a new study shows fleeing iPhone owners on AT&T’s network were willing to put up money just to get out of their contracts and switch to Verizon. Two of every three departing customers paid AT&T up to $300 to break-up with the carrier and bought new iPhones that work on Verizon’s network.

The study, produced by Mobclix, found reception on AT&T’s network was by far the biggest issue cited by exiting customers, followed by Verizon’s offer of a personal hotspot add-on, and the perception Verizon runs a more robust network.

Mobclix found Verizon’s newest customers may have a point about who runs the stronger network.  Many AT&T customers are accustomed to relying on the company’s broadening Wi-Fi network to cope with 3G reception woes.  At least 53 percent of AT&T customers rely on Wi-Fi regularly for data connectivity.  On Verizon’s network, just 38 percent do.

But predictions of a stampede away from AT&T to Verizon have turned out not to be true, either.  Just 14 percent of America’s iPhone owners are on Verizon’s network.  AT&T serves the rest.

Analysts suspect the reason for this is that AT&T’s worst problems are in certain major metropolitan areas, but the carrier does respectably well providing service in many smaller and medium-sized cities.

Mobclix produced a map which may bear this out.  It shows the largest concentration of Verizon iPhone owners in the cities that are routinely cited as problem areas for AT&T:  San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles.

“Based on our survey findings today, it’s clear that consumers are taking control of their mobile destinies by evaluating carrier criteria such as Wi-Fi usage, reception issues and reputation as part of their decision to remain with their carrier or make a switch,” said Krishna Subramanian, Mobclix co-founder.

(click to enlarge)

Verizon delivers fiber-to-the-home service over its FiOS network.

Verizon Communications says it will not run an Internet Overcharging scheme on its wired broadband customers.

The company that knows about investment and upgrading their networks like few others — bringing true, fiber-to-the-home FiOS service to customers across several states — says it has no need to impose usage caps or metered billing on its wired broadband customers.

“This is something we have looked at in the past, and we’ll continue to evaluate what’s best to ensure our customers get the best broadband service for the best value,” Verizon spokesman Bill Kula told Broadband Reports. “We have no plans to implement usage-based pricing for our fixed broadband customers,” Kula says.

Verizon’s announcement provides additional ammunition against AT&T’s unjustified 150-250GB usage caps over claims it faces congestion issues.

The company doesn’t share AT&T’s “congestion problem,” probably for two reasons:

1. Because it does not exist.
2. Verizon has upgraded their network to keep up with demand, winning new customers with their top-rated FiOS fiber to the home network.

Karl Bode sees right through AT&T’s arguments:

If you believe AT&T’s claim that the new pricing is about congestion and not about protecting U-Verse revenues from a Internet video — and many don’t — Verizon’s decision to spend $24 billion on upgrading more than half of their network to fiber to the home would make a Verizon decision to follow suit a very tough sell. AT&T has previously stated their last-mile customers see little to no congestion, and Verizon’s seeing even less.

Kula notes Verizon doesn’t oppose the use of usage caps, but their TOS allows them to handle any users they deem particularly gluttonous, and even then — Verizon makes it clear to us they’ve never disconnected one of these users. “Verizon terms of service were written in a way to allow us to terminate users if they violate our acceptable use policy, and excessive use ‘could’ constitute a violation,” says Kula. “However, we’ve not disconnected any consumer, small business or mass market customers to date.”

Stop the Cap! has never objected to terms and conditions which provide an escape clause for a provider that encounters a customer creating significant problems on its network, such as e-mail spamming, illegal activity, or causing serious problems for other users.  These terms and conditions are a part of every Acceptable Use Policy, and responsible providers don’t activate those provisions on a whim.

It’s too bad some AT&T customers can’t choose an alternative to a company who promised great things with U-verse, and then put unjustified limits on customer enjoyment.

Can’t get enough Jersey Shore?

Customers of Verizon FiOS can now watch selected full length episodes of that, and several other MTV series free of charge on a new online video website for authenticated cable/satellite customers.

MTVNow delivers at least a handful of episodes of their regular series — mostly reality shows.

“It’s clear that today’s consumers want to access their video programming anytime, any place, and Verizon continues to make that possible with online programming from partners like MTV Networks,” said Terry Denson, vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Verizon.

FiOS TV customers will also get access to MTV Networks’ Comedy Central and Nickelodeon online soon.

Verizon customers will be authenticated by using their registered Verizon Online user names and passwords that verify they are existing pay-television subscribers.  If a customer only receives Verizon’s broadband service, they will not be able to access the service.

It’s part of the industry’s TV Everywhere project designed to stop customers from cord cutting their cable/satellite television packages.  By locking out access to popular shows, providers hope to avoid losing customers to a broadband environment where television shows are available free for watching.

But Verizon still faces licensing restrictions that limit the number of shows available to viewers at any one time.  Only about seven episodes of Jersey Shore, for example, were available.  Other series were limited to the last month of programming — a very familiar experience for Hulu visitors.  So are the commercials.

In addition to “Jersey Shore” and “Teen Mom 2,” Verizon and MTV Networks are providing FiOS TV customers with online access to MTV shows like ” Teen Cribs,” “True Life,” “The Real World: New Orleans” and “I Used To Be Fat.”  MTV will make additional shows available online soon including “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” “Cribs,” “The Real World: Las Vegas” and “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.”

Verizon customers who subscribe to FiOS TV are able to watch the MTV shows on their personal computers or laptops – at home or away – using any broadband connection.  Using their Verizon Online user names and passwords, FiOS customers can access the online programming at either www.verizon.com/fiostvonline or www.mtv.com/tve.

Mossberg

Walt Mossberg, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, delivered some stinging remarks about how large telecom and media companies deliver broadband services and programming to North Americans.

“We really suck at broadband,” Mossberg complained during opening remarks at Beet.TV’s first executive summit held at the Embassy of Finland in Washington.  “We have terrible, terrible broadband.”

“The typical consumer either has been lured into broadband by a DSL service that in Finland would not count as broadband — 768kbps is not broadband,” Mossberg said.  “If [the government] adopted a regulation not allowing Verizon to call that crap broadband, it would help.”

Mossberg added that cable modem service in the US and Canada is so slow, it is the object of pity and pathos in countries like Japan and Korea, and we’re overcharged for it.

[flv width=”480″ height=”388″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Verizon Should Stop Calling DSL Broadband 2-17-11.flv[/flv]

Mossberg’s comments come as part of a discussion about the online video revolution, which he says is being hampered by copyright controls, outdated advertising models, and broadband providers delivering sub-standard service.  (8 minutes)

This home in Silver Spring became fully involved in fire after neighbors couldn't reach 911 and had to rescue the 94-year old resident themselves.

More than 10,000 calls to 911 during last month’s blizzard on the east coast failed to reach emergency officials over Verizon’s network according to the Federal Communications Commission.  Even worse, terrorism experts suspect the 911 failures could impact the entire nation during a major disaster, weather event, or terrorist attack.

Last month, a Silver Spring residence went up in flames and neighbors had to rescue the 94-year old owner themselves after repeated attempts to call 911 failed.

The latest and most serious incident occurred in Washington, D.C. and its suburbs Jan. 26 when a snowstorm triggered more than 10,000 calls for help that never reached emergency responders.  The blame is being laid at the feet of one company — Verizon Communications.

All 14 circuits in the Verizon network that properly route all wireless calls in Montgomery County failed and nine of 10 Verizon circuits in Prince George’s County failed over a five-hour period on the night in question. This resulted in approximately 8,300 blocked 911 calls in Montgomery County and 1,700 blocked 911 calls in Prince George’s County that evening, according to Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, Chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

“I know that you will agree that any 911 call which is not connected can have serious consequences, but the large number of missed 911 calls on January 26 is truly alarming,” Barnett wrote Verizon. “The ability to call 911 is critical to the safety of the public. This is especially true during extreme weather events. The public rightly expects that they can use 911 to reach the appropriate first responders in an emergency. In addition to your written response, I request a meeting with appropriate representatives from Verizon within the next two weeks to discuss your resolution of this matter.”

Barnett and the FCC also expressed concerns these problems may not be an isolated incident, but could be a nightmare waiting to happen wherever Verizon provides telephone service.

Verizon blamed an equipment failure and an avalanche of calls for the problem.

“We have been addressing this issue directly with the counties involved, and will work cooperatively to address the FCC’s questions, as well,” said Harry Mitchell, a Verizon spokesman.

[flv width=”600″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Montgomery County 911 No answer.flv[/flv]

This YouTube video shows a 911 call in Montgomery County going unanswered for nearly a minute and a half.  (2 minutes)

[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WUSA Washington 911 Service Problems 2-22-11.flv[/flv]

WUSA-TV in Washington has followed the 911 disruptions for several weeks now.  Channel 9 picks up the story starting with the fire in Silver Spring.  (6 minutes)

[flv width=”640″ height=”500″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WTTG Washington 911 Service Problems 2-22-11.flv[/flv]

WTTG-TV in Washington also reports on the frustration from 911 callers as well as city and local officials annoyed with Verizon.  (6 minutes)