Following Sunday’s announcement that unionized workers at Verizon went on strike after their labor contract expired, Austin Web Development wants to keep you informed about off-net components that may be affected by this situation. This strike impacts those states from the legacy Bell Atlantic (D.C., DE, NJ, PA, MD and VA) and Nynex (CT, MA, NY and RI) regions.

Verizon has assured us that there will be only limited disruption, and has already put into effect a contingency plan in all affected regions to support day-to-day operations. Verizon developed a plan in anticipation of this strike has communicated that the organization is fully staffed with trained management resources. During the strike, their top priority is maintenance of existing services, followed in priority by new installs and potential enhancement activities.

What does this mean for your Austin Web Development service?

Austin Web Development has escalation contacts within Verizon for both install and repair. However, we anticipate delays in the early business days of the strike.

• On a Austin Web Development order with Verizon for TSP, 911 or switched access that does not require dispatch, no change is necessary — Verizon has communicated that these orders will be worked.
• All orders with a customer commit date during the strike are subject change with a new date issued.
• All orders without a customer commit date may receive a date of 12/30/2011, with a more realistic date issued once the strike is over.
• All orders that are bundled with a voice service requiring number porting are subject to a due date change. Please contact your Customer Care Manager or your Local Number Portability Project Manager for additional details.

Finally, because service to our customers is a top priority, our off-net access team will continue to work closely with Verizon to identify valid commit dates for services.

As a proactive measure, we are reviewing our list of Verizon-impacted orders to consider how we can best support you using our broad on-net footprint and comprehensive access portfolio, including Ethernet. If there is a change for you, we will notify you as to a possible alternative.

We believe we are well prepared and positioned to support you during this time, and our intention is to work closely with you to minimize the impact of the strike. As always, Austin Web Development strives to deliver uncompromising support at every turn. We’re here to respond to your needs and value the opportunity to enable your business.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.