Sixteen cities and towns in New Jersey have asked the state to investigate Verizon, claiming that the telecommunications company “has, through neglect, abandoned and retired its copper landline infrastructure in most of South Jersey.”

In areas where Verizon hasn’t upgraded its network to fiber, it has failed to properly maintain the copper wires used to provide telephone service and DSL Internet, the towns said in a petition to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

“In more affluent communities, Verizon has begun to phase out copper with more modern fiber” while “ignoring these issues in communities like ours,” Hopewell Township Committeeman Gregory Facemyer said in the towns’ announcement of their petition.

Verizon denies the allegations, saying it is committed to maintaining reliable service in rural parts of the state. Verizon said it has continued to invest in its network because of "fierce competition for communication services" throughout the state.

Verizon predecessor New Jersey Bell committed to a statewide broadband buildout in a 1993 agreement with state authorities in exchange for a price regulation overhaul that the telco requested. While many towns are still stuck with aging copper networks, Verizon last year struck a deal with the state to allow it to meet its obligation with cellular instead of wired broadband.

The towns’ petition asks the BPU to “investigate and rectify” Verizon’s “discontinuance of maintenance of copper landline facilities and infrastructure” in fiber-less areas. Verizon should be required to properly maintain landline infrastructure until it completes a statewide fiber buildout, they said. Cellular service is not an adequate substitute for landline or fiber service, they said.

“The failure of Verizon to comply with its obligations… to provide fiber optic service throughout the State of New Jersey,” combined with poor maintenance of copper landlines, “will effectively cripple the capability of customers in rural areas to maintain adequate telephone, data, and Internet service,” they said.

The towns say that phone, Internet service, and 911 access have been interrupted or lost altogether during bad weather events, including mere fog and drizzle.

“Literally hundreds of such complaints have been received in the Petitioners’ communities,” the petition said. The petition further claims that “Verizon has manipulated its customer complaint records” to make the problems appear less severe than they are in reality.

Verizon has “described fiber as ‘the best and most reliable platform to meet consumers’ communications needs now and into the future,’” the New Jersey towns said. “Yet for our struggling communities, Verizon refuses to even acknowledge there is a problem, much less offer to upgrade our copper to fiber. Rather than discuss these problems with us, Verizon’s representative has decried our concerns, comparing local government leaders to a modern day flat earth society.”

This is a reference to comments by Verizon New Jersey spokesman Lee Gierczynski, who claimed that town leaders “fear new technology” and are “irrational” and reminiscent of the “Anti-Digit Dialing League” that opposed an all-number telephone numbering system in the 1960s.

Gierczynski no longer works for Verizon but the company told Ars that his departure was unrelated to his public comments.

Verizon has spent “tens of millions” in South Jersey

Verizon told Ars that it “provides strong customer service” and is one of the state’s largest private investors of capital. Verizon also said it has invested more than $4 billion in its wireline network in New Jersey over the last five years, including "targeted" investments in the copper network. In the southern counties where the petitioners reside, Verizon has spent “tens of millions” since January 2014 “on new plant investment and maintaining the existing plant.”

The Verizon statement also said:

Verizon is committed to providing quality service to all of our customers, regardless of where they are. Verizon’s multi-billion investment in its wireline network over the last decade reflects that commitment as well as the fierce competition for communication services that exists across the state, including South Jersey. It is in Verizon’s best interest to not only meet our customers’ expectations but to offer the products and services they demand. We will continue investing throughout the state to ensure that the services provided over our network remain the most reliable and most desirable options for local consumers. This commitment extends to the more rural parts of the state, where Verizon is investing to maintain reliable service on its network in those areas. Verizon continues to dedicate substantial resources to the maintenance of its copper infrastructure for the benefit of its customers in Southern New Jersey through its Proactive Preventative Maintenance Program.

When petitions are filed, the BPU can either review the matter itself or ask a judge to make a recommendation that the board can accept, reject, or change.

The cities and towns petitioning the BPU are Estell Manor, Weymouth Township, Alloway Township, Lower Alloways Creek, Mannington Township, Pilesgrove Township, Upper Pittsgrove Township, South Harrison Township, Commercial Township, Downe Township, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Maurice River Township, Millville, Upper Deerfield Township, and Fairfield Township. Cumberland County also signed on to the petition.

Complaints about Verizon are not limited to rural areas. In October, the mayors of 14 major East Coast cities wrote to Verizon saying that the company has failed to provide fiber to millions of residents, in some cases failing to meet contractual or legislative deadlines.

Verizon has consistently denied such allegations. In New York City, Verizon said it met a requirement to pass all buildings with fiber, but the company's claim depends on how the word “pass” is defined.