A meeting will be held by the state Board of Public Utilities in South Jersey over Verizon landline issues.
South Jersey residents upset with their landline service with Verizon will be able to air their grievances with the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) soon during an upcoming meeting.
A state senator wants the Board of Public Utilities to hold a hearing on Verizon service in South Jersey. (File Photo) The meeting comes from months of petitioning by 16 South Jersey communities upset with Verizon and the company's use of antiquated copper landlines.
"After board staff's careful review and consideration of a petition filed by 16 southern New Jersey municipalities and the County of Cumberland, Verizon's response to the petition and the petitioner's recent reply to the company's response, board staff will schedule a public hearing to be held in that region for the purpose of hearing directly from residents and the businesses community about Verizon's landline phone service quality," said Richard S. Mroz, president of the BPU.
The meeting was at the behest of state Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1) and Mroz spoke with the senator Wednesday before the announcement.
Residents from Atlantic, Salem, Cape May and Gloucester counties all signed a petition due to their displeasure with Verizon and the fact that the telecommunications company has failed to maintain its copper lines in the more rural communities. The residents would like to see the landlines replaced with fiber optics or at least have the copper lines properly maintained.
"This is not the middle of Wyoming or Kansas," Van Drew said. "We should be able to access technology to be able to compete."
Van Drew pushed for a meeting in his district so it would be easier for residents to voice their concerns to the BPU.
Cumberland County has taken the lead on collecting the petitions and dealing with Verizon and the BPU when it comes to upgrading the landlines in South Jersey.
"We're gratified that the board is going to move forward and we appreciate the support we have been given by Sen. Van Drew's office," said Ted Baker, solicitor for Cumberland County.
According to Verizon spokesman Ray McConville, the company is aware of the meeting and plans to attend to hear customer complaints.
The meeting date and location is not scheduled yet but, according to Van Drew, will most likely be in April or May.
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.