On July 2, at 4 p.m., Providence Business News, along with a number of other businesses, lost access to the Internet and e-mail as a result of Verizon Communications pulling the plug on services provided by Providence-based Log On America over a protracted billing dispute.
No one would suggest that Verizon should continue to provide services to a client if in fact they have not been paid for their services, as Verizon asserts in its dispute with Log On America. But we strongly object to the timing of the shut off and the absence of warning that preceded it.
Some kind of warning – even a couple of weeks in advance – would have enabled companies to make other arrangements for their Internet services.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
A Verizon spokesperson suggested to us that it was the responsibility of Log On America to inform its customers of an impending shut off. That may be true. But Log On America’s difficulties – including its intention to declare bankruptcy – are well documented. We expect more from Verizon.
We believe that Donna Cupelo, this region’s president for Verizon, an officer of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Providence Foundation, should have been more sensitive to the impact Verizon’s shut off of Log On America customers would have on businesses. This interruption of Internet service should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Both Verizon and Log On America – despite their differences – should have informed those companies that were to be impacted in advance of the decision to shut off service.
We have not ascertained how many companies suffered financially as a result of the Log On America/Verizon dispute. But we are sure that some of them rely on commerce via the Internet. We also know that some customers did not lose Internet service, while others did.
The state Public Utilities Commission or the Attorney General’s office or perhaps the Department of Business Regulation should investigate the details of this disruption of service.
Did the process play out in an equitable manner, or was favoritism a factor? What laws govern such actions and were they followed? Do we need more stringent laws in dealing with Internet service?
In speaking with a representative of the state’s Public Utilities Commission, it appears that Internet regulations are mostly non-existent, particularly when compared to those of more traditional utilities such as electricity and gas. That needs to change and it is an issue for the Attorney General, the PUC and the General Assembly to pursue.
In today’s economy, Internet service is often the lifeblood of a company, if not for actually selling and marketing products, certainly for communicating with other businesses and the public at large.
Regardless of the details of the Log On America/Verizon dispute, the resulting Internet shut off was inexcusable.
Give this school
budget an ‘F’
While we recognize that the Providence School Board and City Council face a difficult problem in bridging a $14.5 million gap between school department revenues and expenses, the two sides must do a better job of solving the problem than the suggestions that have been made public to date.
Among the solutions under consideration are the elimination of two school days from the now 182-day school year, the elimination of three days now reserved for teachers’ professional development and the elimination of varsity sports.
Let’s see if we have this right. To save money, school officials are suggesting that teachers receive less training, students do not go to school as often and athletic programs are considered an unaffordable luxury?
Providence school officials and members of the City Council – two groups that are traditionally at odds in most cities and towns – simply have to work together to find alternative ways to boost revenues and cut expenses.
Our public schools do in fact play a role in economic development efforts. Public high schools that do not offer varsity sports, or that cut back on professional development efforts for teachers do not send a message of seriousness regarding education. And that’s just the message that business executives considering a move to our capital city need to hear – that public education is important.
