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Local companies scramble, restore dial-up service - New modems, numbers in place

By RICHIE DAVIS The Recorder

It turned out to be a 24-hour bug for thousands of dial-up Internet customers around the region.

Verizon pulled the plug Monday afternoon, following a legal dispute with another phone company.

Crocker, ShaysNet, Megatron, Eclectechs, AOL and other Internet service providers were affected when Verizon responded to a three-year-old lawsuit by shutting off phone service to a Quincy-based company that operates modems.

Company vice president Matthew Crocker said that all customers were back online by 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with new modems in place and all of its telephone numbers converted.

''It's a little too early to find out the impact this had on the business,'' Crocker said. ''I don't know how many customers we're going to lose. It was something entirely out of our control, and I hope customers understand that.''

According to Crocker, now that the switch to a new phone system is complete, there is no chance of such a disruption happening in the future.

Crocker customers in the Northampton area will not have to dial a new number in order to log in.

However, those using the 828-4000 dial-up service number in Greenfield may still experience difficulty, Crocker said, but a substitute number, 475-1994, should work. Crocker's technical support can help any customers still having problems, he added.

Eclectechs reroutes service

Greenfield-based Crocker Communications, which had been waiting since January to have its own switching equipment installed at its Springfield operations center, watched as its 5,000 and 6,000 dial-up customers lost connections.

Northampton-based Eclectechs switched its service to a new contractor after its 1,200 dial-up customers had service disrupted Tuesday, said principal owner Victoria White.

The switch to the new service started around 1 p.m. on Wednesday and as of this morning, 76 percent of the company's customers were switched over, White said.

Eclectechs customers will need to dial a new number in order to log in. The Northampton number is 413-517-0171. The Easthampton number is 413-282-0081. The Amherst number is 413-658-0065.

Rural customers hit

Deerfield-based Nutri-Systems, which manufactures and sells food-service equipment for seniors to 3,000 customers around North America, was among the larger dial-up users hurt when its Crocker-based connection was cut off by Verizon.

''This is a rural economic development issue,'' said Nutri-Systems CEO Jay DiPucchio, who a decade ago as executive director of the Franklin County Regional Council of Governments began the push for high-speed Internet connections around the region but now said he depends on dial-up service.

He criticized Verizon for ''holding economic development hostage'' in a region that still depends heavily on dial-up service and Internet connection is not subject to government regulation.

David Leonard, owner of Greenfield-based ShaysNet, said he was trying to switch his modems over and that his customers could see service restored today.

''At the end of the day, I think Verizon has disproportionately hurt rural customers,'' said Leonard, who believes that down the line, unlimited Internet access for dial-up customers could be threatened.

Some AOL telephone numbers in Massachusetts were also affected, according to Sarah Matin, a spokeswoman for the Virginia-based service, but she said substitute numbers are being provided.

''Verizon regrets having to take this action, but the responsibility for its impact rests solely with Global's management,'' said Verizon spokeswoman Carol Baribeau in a prepared statement.

The suit stems from a 2002 Federal Communications Commission decision classifying dial-up calls to Internet service providers as long distance so Verizon could collect tariffs as the originator of calls, according to Crocker. An April 11 decision in U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upheld a ruling that translates to nearly 10 times more in tariffs than those Global NAPS says apply.

Staff writer Ryan Davis contributed to this report.