A Carrot for DC Residents, no FiOS but 7Mbps copper DSL

Verizon to Extend 7-Mbps DSL Service to 12 Eastern States
5:30 am on March 14, 2008

U.S. telecom giant, Verizon Communications, has announced plans to extend its 7-Mbps DSL internet service to customers in 12 eastern states and the District of Columbia by the end of 2008, in an effort to quell allegations that it is neglecting its non-FiOS broadband subscribers.
Verizon’s tireless effort to extend fiber-to-the-home networks throughout its service area has reduced its focus on copper-based DSL networks, according to some analysts, and may be one reason that the company is failing to keep up with rivals in that market.

Verizon is now making clear efforts to correct this perceived imbalance, however, announcing in January that it would roll-out faster (7-Mbps) DSL service for 400,000 customers in its West Coast, Great Lakes, South, and Southeastern markets. Just this Wednesday it revealed plans to make this enhanced service available in parts of Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The 7-Mbps service costs $39.99/month with a one-year contractual commitment, or $47.99 on a month-to-month basis.