Red Bank TV

Verizon Wireless has started sending letters to ‘heavy’ users of their cell phone’s internet services telling them to not use the internet so much.  Verizon Wireless uses that tagline “It’s the Network” in their advertisements and it gives me pause when I hear stories of how they restrict usage of “The Network” to their services or tell people not to use “The Network” too much.  In our area Verizon Wireless does provide the best high-speed wireless service, just as their land based counterpart Verizon FiOS provides the best high-speed internet access.

So, internet users are faced with a choice; you can use Verizon Wireless which provides the highest speeds but only in the way Verizon Wireless wants you to use it or you can switch to a competitor with slower service but with a more liberal attitude towards usage.

Is it far fetched to make the jump from Verizon’s Wireless model to a future Verizon FiOS model?  I don’t think so.  I think you can deduce from some of the public comments that telco bosses have made that they would like to steer the future of the internet to look more like Verizon Wireless’s model.

I am concerned that an aspiring Red Bank artist, gaining popularity through distributing their art on the internet, will some day get a letter from Verizon or have their service curtailed and not have a viable alternative to Verizon.  Without assurances from Verizon that they will keep the internet a level playing field or that they would not oppose a Red Bank municipal WiFi network then this scenario may not be too far fetched.

With Verizon looking to do business in our town, now is the time to ask Verizon about these issues.