Verizon needs to be accountable

Go here, put in your address, filter on the proper bundle you want and see what's available:

http://www.allconnect.com/sc-bundles/service-bundles.html

As to the final question, as a proponent of free markets, I do not think Verizon (or any other provider) should be answerable to the government with respect to how it prices its products. There is no government granted monopoly in this utility space (phone & internet).

NJ granted Verizon a monopoly on the fiber Verizon laid. (That is, Verizon doesn't have to share the cable with competitors.) And it's not regulated? That's just nuts.

Tom_Reingold said:
NJ granted Verizon a monopoly on the fiber Verizon laid. (That is, Verizon doesn't have to share the cable with competitors.) And it's not regulated? That's just nuts.

That's a different topic... regulating the use of cable or fiber isn't the same as regulating the prices companies can charge, in my view. One inhibits competition; the other encourages it. But I think you are right... Verizon should not have been able to monopolize the fiber it installed.

The whole optic fiber thing puzzles me. I realize it is fantastically expensive (apparently), and that's why Verizon only installed so much fiber in so many areas and isn't planning to do any more. But it seems arbitrary and kind of crazy, in that the limitations mean fewer people paying higher prices to support the limited system. Or am I wrong about that?

Go to their competitor--Comcast in Maplewood, Cablevision in South Orange. Don't think they will try to woo you back before you disconnect. You have to physically drop them.

Cablevision refused to renegotiate my deal 18 months ago so I went to Verizon. Cablevision came back, after I'd been disconnected, with an offer that I couldn't refuse. I made out well and I got better service (higher Internet speeds and more channels). Verizon has great quality, but Cablevision's channel line-up is much easier to follow.