AT&T to cut even more wireline employees

Posted by N | January 8, 2010 - 12:43pm

Anyone else realize that the CWA has effectively crippled telecom in this country?
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What an ignorant statement! It is AT$T and Verizon and their lack of desire to invest in the network they want to provide service with that is effectively crippling telecom in this country. We are way behind almost every other industrialized nation in bandwith and technology in regards to wireless and wireline phone and data service due to the stranglehold AT$T and Verizon have on our communications infrastructure. Please do some research before you try to blame the CWA for the problems with Telecom in this country.

Does anyone even use landline telephones anymore? Other than maybe for DSL or something?

That's been in the making for over a dozen years, I find it funny that people haven't seen this coming for a while.

AT&T is breaking new ground for all ILECs. If AT&T pulls this off, it will allow Verizon and others to do the same in its areas. If you don't think that is happening look elsewhere in the Tri state area or the country in that matter. The reality is keeping older legacy communications going is costing more money than it can provide. Union or not. We are at crossroads in which telecom companies are looking at other options besides wireline anything including fiber. There is a descent read about it on the front page of this web site. Cell phones and basic lower speed broadband access have proved that. Direct TV and Dish has proven you can implement HD TV without the need for Fiber to the premise or node connections. Why does a company really need to rebuild its wireline network like FIOS if I can get the same quality of picture from Direct TV?(Just using it as an example) Verizon just spent a huge amount of money on this new infrastructure and can barely get 25 percent on it even with the nonstop ad campaigns. What is that saying to the company or the investors in that matter. Personally, I really don't see the difference in the picture cause I know people who have both. Back to the point of the article. Yes it sucks people are losing their jobs due to the obsolete technology.
However, I do not know if I would really want a lower paid worker doing the work at the same time. There is still a certain amount of skill involved with copper work. If the phone company wants to pay let's say $9.00/ hr for a lineman, that would be equally suicidal since chances are that worker will not care about his job even more. In a sense you get what you pay for. You pay crap you generally get crap. I have experienced this first hand when I first moved into my house several years ago. Unfortunately, the union protects the dead weight and the company has troubles getting rid of the guys who make good money and know they can get away with not working as hard.
There will be a limited need for wireline it's just that ILECs will need to adjust to the fact they are not the only game in town.

Pay attention: through high prices, no budget to support any upgrades, maintenance or improvements for pots and the elimination of manpower at&t will prove to YOU that pots is "old school". Please listen, because techs can not give what they don't have - clean dialtone, clean dsl, clean uverse. Let them kill the industry, let them layoff their help and they will open up a lot of low paying jobs, for a low grade product.

Service Level Agreements for PSTN providers vary state by state, depending on the state governing body. I my experience, Connecticut had the strictest and was the most like to heavily enforce.

Anyone else realize that the CWA has effectively crippled telecom in this country?

Do cable operators have the same mandate? -- to restore 90% of customers within 24 hours. what is the current norm for all wireline/cable providers in Connecticut?