An official complaint against Verizon has filed, alleging the firm is intimidating DSL customers into refusing to fix customers on old copper lines, and upgrading to fiber. Before this month, the Philadelphia Inquirer got a leaked Verizon record detailing Verizon’s internal “Fiber Is the Only Fix” software. Under that plan, DSL customers that phone in 18 months for repairs are contacted and told they must update to fiber. Verizon in turn just will not fix their existing broadband line if they refuse.

“Customers are purposefully being put in a scenario where they must make a fast choice — under duress — to either change service to fiber or lose service entirely,” the complaint states.

While most folks are happy to have the upgrades, Verizon workers have told us formerly how some folks (frequently the aged) fight the upgrade, favoring the dependability (particularly during power outage) of a conventional dial tone. The criticism is thus breaking the FCC’s copper retirement rules, which took effect on March 24, 2016, and says Verizon’s not being see-through with these customers about what is occurring.

The CWA’s involvement in the charge comes at 40,000 Verizon workers are now on, after the union and failed company phone to consent to a new contract after fifteen months of discussions.

Verizon is slowly but definitely retiring all of its copper infrastructure. In regions that have found fiber upgrades, this means vigorously pushing on users toward the newer alternative. But in marketplaces that have not been updated, Verizon attempting to drive away these users with a mixture of apathy and cost increases.