Earlier this week we reported that Verizon will be cutting 8,500 rural customers from its service in October. Verizon has now backed off that promise, in very small, specific cases.
It took Montana Senator Jon Tester to influence any sort of change in the telecommunications giant. After Tester sent a letter to Verizon, they quickly backpedaled, stating that they “will continue to serve Montanans and will not terminate the service of rural customers.”
This sounds like good news, but the response really should have included an asterisk. When Gizmodo inquired into the actual changes, the response they got was almost opposite if Verizon’s letter to Senator Tester.
Here’s what we know as of now: First responders are exempt. EMTs don’t have to worry about calls dropping because there was an accident in the middle of nowhere (which is good, but terrifying to think that was Verizon’s original plan). The deadline has been extended to Dec 1st, giving people a little more time to find someone who will cover them. For those that can’t though (which is more than a few), Verizon will still offer service. A pricey, pricey service. Customers have the option of a Small, Medium, or Large plan (2,4 and 8 gigabytes respectively), or a 5gb single plan, which is self-explanatory. These plans are anywhere from $35-70 a month, and a $20 fee per line.
Unfortunately, there’s no real commitment by Verizon to stick to this after the story fades away, as they told Gizmodo.
“We will continue to regularly review the viability of accounts of customers who live outside of the Verizon network.”
Could similar action from people in congress influence Verizon to rescind parts of its plan in even the 12 other states it plans to pull service from?
Sources: Gizmodo, Byte, Huffington Post
Image: Droid Life
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