Verizon Communications has announced that customers who sign up for DSL service between now and Halloween can lock in the same monthly rate for life (between $14.99 and $27.99, depending on bandwidth plan).
AT&T offers $10/month DSL in some instances as part of its BellSouth merger agreement with the FCC (though critics allege the company doesn't promote it), so it's not too surprising to see Verizon willing to lock in customers a slightly higher rates. Qwest also has similar offers already, and with DSL penetration increasing and broadband adoption slowing, we may see more such offers. The deal also locks customers into using Verizon phone lines, so it could also help Verizon stabilize or better predict access line fluctuation.
For More:
- The Verizon press release is here
- The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has this story