09-03-2015, 12:39 PM
Getting DSL service to our house was never physically impossible. The previous owner had a phone, so I know they had voice service, I do not know if they had broadband service.
The thing about Hawaiian Telcom is that their excuses changed over time. For over 2 years they said there weren't enough "ports". Then they said that their copper was "saturated" and we wouldn't get service until fiber upgrades were completed. Then after the article about the FCC paying $400,000.00 to hook up 500 customers in Orchidland ($800 per customer) came out, I was ready to go the distance. I was going to continue complaining up the chain until people at the FCC were answering to people in congress (that would mean a certain utility was answering a LOT of questions) explaining why a pre-existing-copper wired home near the highway 'backbone' couldn't get service the taxpayers had paid for.
But I didn't have to. I POLITELY inquired to somebody outside of the sales/install office, they did "something" and a day later somebody called me back and said they could hook me up in 10 days. It didn't seem like a heavy lift on their end. The "installer" came to our home, handed us a box with the router, spent about a minute turning a screw on a box on the side of our house, then we had broadband. I suspect they probably could have done that 3 1/2 years ago. If they wanted to.
ETA: They really should think about their business model. I would have paid them $800 to hook up broadband 3 1/2 years ago. Certainly would have been cheaper than the money I threw at Verizon over the years. Imagine all of us who have been paying for wireless, satellite, etc. Too bad they are focused on short-term profits rather than long-term ones.
The thing about Hawaiian Telcom is that their excuses changed over time. For over 2 years they said there weren't enough "ports". Then they said that their copper was "saturated" and we wouldn't get service until fiber upgrades were completed. Then after the article about the FCC paying $400,000.00 to hook up 500 customers in Orchidland ($800 per customer) came out, I was ready to go the distance. I was going to continue complaining up the chain until people at the FCC were answering to people in congress (that would mean a certain utility was answering a LOT of questions) explaining why a pre-existing-copper wired home near the highway 'backbone' couldn't get service the taxpayers had paid for.
But I didn't have to. I POLITELY inquired to somebody outside of the sales/install office, they did "something" and a day later somebody called me back and said they could hook me up in 10 days. It didn't seem like a heavy lift on their end. The "installer" came to our home, handed us a box with the router, spent about a minute turning a screw on a box on the side of our house, then we had broadband. I suspect they probably could have done that 3 1/2 years ago. If they wanted to.
ETA: They really should think about their business model. I would have paid them $800 to hook up broadband 3 1/2 years ago. Certainly would have been cheaper than the money I threw at Verizon over the years. Imagine all of us who have been paying for wireless, satellite, etc. Too bad they are focused on short-term profits rather than long-term ones.