Verizon Sends Notices Of October Disconnection To 8,500 Rural Customers
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8,500 rural Verizon customers in 13 states are getting the boot from the company’s wireless Internet due to their heavy data usage making it impossible for the company to make a profit from the account.
The problem?
Many of these users are on unlimited data plans.
Kelly Crummey, Verizon corporate communications director, said the customers were made aware in September that they would no longer be able to use Verizon for their service provider after Oct. 17, 2017. The customers live in areas where Verizon have no operating networks and in the following states – Alaska, Montana, Missouri, Maine, Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Idaho and Utah.
According to the blunt letter the company sent out, Verizon said they reviewed customers’ accounts to find that they used a plethora amount of roaming data while using another network. The letter states when the service will no longer be provided and thanked them for their business.
The letter didn’t give the customers any recourse.
The problem is the result of Verizon’s LTEiRA program where the company works with 21 regional carriers to offer mobile access to rural locations. Verizon users can use the regional networks when they want but must pay the carrier fee when they use roaming data.
Verizon said many of the users were using about a terabyte of data a month. However, one family said it used less than 50 gigabytes of data on an unlimited data and with four lines.
One family member said they don’t have a lot of choices to go with, as most don’t offer good service. The family member said Verizon cares nothing about small U.S. towns and they’re letting people know not to use Verizon for their service.
According to regional carriers, Verizon decision means backing out of a deal the companies had with Verizon to construct infrastructure that would expand service areas. With this decision, it means rural customers are getting the short end of the stick.
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