The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, along with public interest groups Common Cause and Public Knowledge, are accusing Verizon of threatening to shut off DSL and copper services for customers if they don't move over to Verizon's fiber network.
The complaint alleges Verizon technicians are telling customers the operator no longer repairs copper lines, and the customer must upgrade to fiber. If the customer declines the fiber upgrade, Verizon will allegedly stop the technician from repairing the copper line and tell the customer the copper line will be disconnected.
The complaint says the practice is happening through Verizon's wireline service territory in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
FierceTelecom has the complete report and has continued to cover news surrounding the ongoing labor dispute between Verizon, and the CWA and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).