Verizon Reports Progress in Reducing Trouble Reports in Wireline Network

Verizon (News - Alert) announced it has made significant progress in reducing trouble reports in its wireline network that were up last week due to the impacts of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The company had reported a sudden spike, up to three times the normal level, of trouble reports in nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states over the past two weeks. Verizon’s crew was facing difficulty in conducting the repair due to severe flooding and power outage caused by the hurricane.

In some areas which are hit by heavy rains, Verizon technicians have had to repair fallen lines and other storm damage, which typically would be delayed until local power companies restored power.  Verizon has incurred other extraordinary maintenance expenses – for example, having to reinforce 31 central offices in Pennsylvania with perimeter sandbags to protect the buildings from flooding.

The company is hopeful that trouble reports return to normal levels in these states in about two weeks.

Verizon was recently in trouble when 45,000 union-represented wireline employees in the nine states went on a strike. However, they returned to work on the evening of August 22, so the company could leverage their service during this catastrophe. 

During the two-week strike, Verizon suspended the installation of new FiOS (News - Alert) Internet and TV services in the region to focus on managing repairs and maintaining other operations.  This resulted in a backlog of more than 100,000 FiOS orders by the time striking employees returned to work.

The company claims that the strike has had minimal impact on most Verizon wireline customers because Verizon management employees stepped in to cover the repair workload.

After Hurricane Irene made landfall in the Mid-Atlantic on Aug. 27, technicians in the region have been working up to 12 hours a day, six to seven days a week, to clear trouble reports caused by electrical outages, wind and water damage to outside network facilities, and flooding.  The soaking rains of Tropical Storm Lee exacerbated the situation just as repair volumes due to Hurricane Irene had fallen, the company said.

However, the company was able to manage the crisis without creating impact on its customers. The network performed well throughout the storms and their aftermath.  Through the use of backup batteries and generators, many cell sites in communities that lost commercial power continued to serve customers, the company said.

Verizon provided wireless and wireline support to emergency responders in their recovery efforts.  In addition, the company also participated in philanthropic efforts through The Verizon Foundation, giving direct and employee-matching donations to the American Red Cross.

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