Verizon Offers Additional Rewards for Internet, TV and Voice Bundles

NEW YORK – October 20, 2010 –

Verizon's FiOS and High Speed Internet service bundles now come with an additional reward: a Verizon Visa® prepaid card worth up to $200 toward the purchase of a new DROID smartphone of the customer's choice.

"We're enhancing the value for our TV and broadband customers by adding another screen to their viewing options with this DROID smartphone offer," said Mike Ritter, Verizon's chief marketing officer for consumer wireline and business services. "FiOS customers can now enjoy their favorite movies and photos, plus more, on their TV, laptop, home computer and DROID screen, with the crystal-clear programming of Verizon's fiber-to-the-home network and the largest, most reliable wireless 3G network.

"HSI-bundle subscribers can also use their new DROID to tune in to outstanding mobile viewing opportunities offered by DIRECTV® as well as other video services like YouTube," Ritter added. "The mobile video experiences we are creating through Verizon's advanced fiber and wireless networks are on a steady path of continual enhancement and will only become more versatile in the months ahead."

A Verizon Visa prepaid card issued by Meta BankTM is available for customers choosing either FiOS or HSI copper-line-based bundles, including all quad-, triple- and double-play bundles.

In addition, Verizon announced that quad-play bundles of Internet, TV, home phone and wireless service are now available in all Verizon landline service areas, with the expansion of the bundles to the company's markets in California, Florida and Texas. (To view a news release containing more details, click here.)

New Verizon customers who sign up for FiOS TV and Internet service will receive a $200 reward card that can be used for the DROID phone of their choice when they add FiOS home phone service to two-year triple-play bundles starting at $90 a month and add a qualifying Verizon Wireless calling plan. That represents an additional $9.99-a-month discount off the same FiOS bundle. Verizon Wireless voice plans start at $39.99 a month with the FiOS bundles, and unlimited wireless data plans are available for $29.99 a month, with a two-year commitment.

New FiOS customers get an additional discount of $5 a month for 24 months off the price of a triple-play bundle when they sign up online.

FiOS customers adding either new TV or new Internet service to a double-, triple- or quad-play bundle are eligible for a $100 reward card.

The $200 reward card, which can be redeemed anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, also is available with new triple-play bundles of Verizon HSI, Freedom Essentials calling plan and DIRECTV® CHOICE XTRATM, starting at $99.99 a month for a year. Customers who add new HSI to their Verizon voice service, or add voice service to their existing HSI service to create a new double-play bundle will be eligible for a $100 reward card. They can also get a $100 reward card if they add a new wireless plan to their existing double bundle of HSI and voice service.

All FiOS bundles come with Verizon's 30-day Worry-Free Guarantee allowing customers to cancel their service within 30 days of the date of activation, with no termination fee, if they are not completely satisfied. 

All bundles that include Verizon Wireless require ONE-BILL®, which combines charges for all Verizon services onto one monthly statement. There are numerous options for these bundles, based on the Verizon Wireless calling plan chosen, by state and by broadband eligibility.

Further details on the Verizon bundle plans are available by calling 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966).

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 92 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Verizon Customers Can Now Use a Mobile 'My Verizon' Tool to Manage Key Account Features, FiOS Internet and TV Options

NEW YORK – October 12, 2010 –

Verizon is offering a mobile My Verizon service to its customers, providing them a go-anywhere wireless alternative for accessing many account-management services from the myverizon.com site.  These include certain FiOS TV features such as remote DVR programming, as well as access to e-mail and customer-service support.  Smart phone users also get access to home voice mail and Caller ID logs.

The new service is available to any Verizon customer with an Internet-capable wireless phone or device and does not require downloading a separate mobile application.  Customers simply register with their personal computer for an online account at myverizon.com and then access the site on-the-go with their mobile-phone browser.  In addition to checking their Verizon.net e-mail accounts, customers can view and pay their Verizon bill, participate in Verizon forums and blogs and access Ask Verizon support services.  FiOS TV customers also can check TV listings, remotely program their DVR and view video-on-demand titles.  An online tour helps explain the versatility and functionality of the site.

Users of such smart phones as the DROID and who also have Verizon Call Assistant on their home phone service can use My Verizon to check voice mail and Caller ID logs.  FiOS TV customers with smart phones can order pay-per-view titles to watch later on their TVs.

"We're constantly innovating and developing technologies that create new ways for our customers to enjoy and manage their services across multiple devices, whether at home or on the go," said Mark Studness, director of e-commerce for Verizon.  "Mobile My Verizon gives our customers the added convenience of anytime, anywhere access to manage their Verizon account, read and respond to e-mail, control key FiOS TV features, and more."

Once Verizon customers use their computer to create an online account at myverizon.com, they simply go to the site, using their mobile phone's wireless browser*, and the service will automatically detect their mobile device.  After it identifies the device being used, whether it's a smart phone or a less-advanced-feature mobile phone, the service prompts the customer for My Verizon account log-in information and then provides a menu of service options.

* Customer's wireless data plan charges may apply.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 92 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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Prepaid wireless Internet a great idea, but can you afford it?

Fans of prepaid cellphones will love Virgin Mobile's Broadband2Go, a USB device that provides pay-as-you go wireless Internet service without an annual contract.(wireless internet service,internet service providers,internet service,wireless service providers,verizon wireless internet,verizon internet,broadband internet providers,wireless broadband providers,broadband internet,broadband wireless)

What they may not love so much is the price, or at least the initial $150 to buy it.
On the plus side, Virgin Mobile's prices to buy megabytes to browse the Web, watch videos and read e-mails are fair enough if you don't mind paying $10 for about five hours of Web browsing or 25 minutes of video.
Virgin Mobile sent me one a few weeks ago to try out, and after about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to connect it with the help of a service representative, it worked well. Coverage was in and out and I got disconnected a few times, but overall I stayed connected long enough to be online for an hour or so at a time.
While there are plenty of mobile broadband devices that heavily subsidize the device with a lengthy contract, the $150 price for Broadband2Go is worth it because it's a one-time cost without a contract attached, said Matt Berberian, director of customer experience at Virgin Mobile, in a telephone interview.
I see Berberian's point, but I doubt if many people who want such a service will pay $150 for something that isn't meant for heavy, long-term use.
The market is "casual broadband" or the "casual traveler," Berberian said, or small business owners. It isn't for anyone who wants to be connected all of the time while on the road.
"We think of the product as a bridge between home Internet and work," he said. "It's not a replacement product."
I'm a big fan of prepaid anything, mostly because I don't like being surprised by surcharges, taxes and such when the bill arrives. I like to know what I'm paying upfront. I've written before about prepaid cellphones and how to compare them and get the best deal. Paying as you go with a phone makes sense if you don't use a lot of minutes; otherwise an unlimited plan is probably best.
Broadband2Go is a great idea because it takes that prepaid idea and brings it to going mobile on the Internet -- no contracts, no credit checks, no activation fees, no monthly or annual commitments, and no overage charges. It's a smart gift for students who don't want to face a monthly bill.
The only limit is that the amount of megabytes -- 250 MB for $20, for example -- must be used within 30 days. The 100 MB plan for $10 expires in 10 days. Any connection time you have left after the expiration date doesn't roll over to the next quantify of Web access you buy -- something that some prepaid phones allow you to do with rollover minutes.
Minutes don't roll over because then Virgin Mobile would have to continue providing customer service during that extended time, explained Berberian, the product lead for Broadband2Go. If the plans were for three months, then the cost of providing customer service for three months would have had to be factored into the price, he said.
To buy Web time, the company sells what it calls "Top-Up cards" in various denominations. A $20 card will buy 250 MB of Internet access, which equals 12 horus of Web browsing, an hour of watching video or 25,000 e-mails.
They're easy enough to buy, but can't be applied on your account until your usage drops to 25 MB. That's because technical limitations don't allow data to be stacked, Berberian said. But be careful: Loading up a $20 card when you have 20 MB left, for example, will get rid of the 20 MB remaining. Only reload when your time is up, or nearly up.
The unit is limited to usage in Sprint coverage areas, so check your Sprint coverage before buying one. And don't expect to watch much video with one of these plugged into your laptop. I watched about 10 minutes of video, and my remaining megabytes quickly dropped in half.
For now they're only sold at Best Buy, which has an exclusive contract to sell them through the end of the year.
If you're going on a weekend trip or vacation and don't want to pay hotel fees to get wireless Internet access, a Broadband2Go device is the way to go -- if you don't mind paying $150 to buy one.
Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Reach him at www.AaronCrowe.net

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To Slow Piracy, Internet Providers Ready Penalties - New York Times

After years of negotiations with Hollywood and the music industry, the nation’s top Internet providers have agreed to a systematic approach to identifying customers suspected of digital copyright infringement and then alerting them via e-mail or other means.

Under the new process, which was announced Thursday, several warnings would be issued, with progressively harsher consequences if the initial cautions were ignored.

The companies took pains to say that the agreement did not oblige Internet providers to shut down a repeat offender’s account, and that the system of alerts was meant to be “educational.” But they noted that carriers would retain their right to cut off any user who violated their terms of service.

In bringing together the media companies and Internet carriers, the deal demonstrates how the once-clear line separating those two businesses has been blurred. Eight years ago, the Recording Industry Association of America had to sue Verizon to try to uncover the identity of a customer who was sharing music online. This year, Comcast completed its merger with NBC, bringing an owner of digital content and a conduit for it under the same roof.

Now the Internet providers are hoping to profit as they pipe music and video of the nonpirated variety to their customers.

“The I.S.P.’s want to cooperate with Hollywood because the carriers recognize that their own growth depends in part on bundled content strategies,” said Eric Garland of BigChampagne, which tracks online media traffic. “They don’t want to be just utilities providing Internet access, but premium content distributors as well.”

The system announced on Thursday involves a series of six warnings that an Internet provider can send to a customer whom the media companies have identified as a possible copyright infringer.

The warnings escalate from simple e-mail notifications to, at levels 5 and 6, a set of “mitigation measures,” like reduced connection speeds or a block on Web browsing. As the alerts progress, a customer must acknowledge that he understands the notice. Customers will also have the opportunity to contest the complaint.

The effect on consumers, the companies hope, will be more of a deterrent-by-annoyance — rather than the random lightning bolt of litigation that was once the preferred method of enforcement by the recording industry association, one of the parties to the agreement.

The media companies were also represented by the Motion Picture Association of America and groups acting on behalf of independent record companies and filmmakers. The Internet carriers involved in the deal include AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner Cable.

The music and movie companies, which estimate that digital piracy costs the United States economy $16 billion in lost revenue each year, have been eager for an efficient way to deal with the problem.

As illegal downloading has become ingrained as a cultural habit, especially among young people, expensive litigation has become less effective, and the lawsuits against individuals were something of a public relations disaster for the music companies. The new deal, the companies say, offers plenty of chances for even the most recalcitrant pirates to reform.

“This is a sensible approach to the problem of online content theft and, importantly, one that respects the privacy and rights of our subscribers,” Randal S. Milch, executive vice president and general counsel for Verizon, said in a statement.

The agreement has an unlikely origin: it came about as a result of an effort to crack down on child pornography that was led by Andrew M. Cuomo while he was the New York attorney general.

Steve Lohr contributed reporting.

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