Inferior telecom services in Morgan Hill?

TELECOM SERVICE

I do not understand why Morgan Hill has two inferior telecom providers. Charter Cable does not offer high definition TV nor does it offer DVR service. The price for high speed Internet is much higher than other cities due to lack of competition since Verizon does not offer DSL to most of the city. What can be done to increase telecommunications competition in Morgan Hill?

• Dear Telecom Frustrated: To answer your question we contacted both Charter Communications and Verizon.

Craig Watson, a spokesman with Charter Communications, said Charter has just announced the availability of a new high-definition channel lineup and Digital Video Recorders (DVR). As of Oct. 31, Morgan Hill customers had access to up to 18 new channels in high definition. As would be expected, customers must first have a high definition television and subscribe to Charter’s high definition service package or the specific premium channel now offered in high definition. Among the new high definition selections are the main broadcast networks, as well as some of the most popular cable networks. These include, among others, ESPN, Discovery, HBO, TNT, History, Universal, and A&E networks.

Digital Video Recorders are also now available, providing the ease of recording current or future programming with simple commands on the remote. DVRs also allow viewers to pause “live” TV to answer the phone or run to the kitchen .. all the while their program is being recorded on the DVR and ready to restart on command. Watson said Morgan Hill customers receive some of the fastest high-speed Internet service in the nation (five and 10 meg) at competitive prices.  

Jonathan Davies, a spokesman with Verizon, said the company already provides high speed Internet (DSL) service to many Morgan Hill customers. However, DSL technology is limited by distance and therefore is unavailable to the customers who are farthest from Verizon’s central office. Davies assured the Crimson Crusader that the company is always looking at ways to increase its DSL service and will check with the company’s planning department to see if there’s anything in the pipeline for Morgan Hill.

TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

My wife and I moved to Morgan Hill last May, and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this area. I have uncovered a dark secret, however, that underlies the placid exterior of this little town. This is a mystery so puzzling, it rivals the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the Loch Ness monster and the popularity of Paris Hilton. The mystery is simply this: how does a new person to this area get a hold of a local (South County) telephone directory? Several well-meaning people have assured me that all supermarkets have them out front. I have been to Wal-Mart both Safeways in Morgan Hill and to Nob Hill. I have not been able to locate a single directory.

I went to the post office and they weren’t there. The nice lady there assured me that supermarkets had them. I didn’t have the heart to destroy her illusions. The nice lady at the information desk at the City Hall suggested I call Verizon.

Isn’t there a place I could just go and pick one up? I promise I will be a good telephone user. I will only call people between regular office hours. I will make an effort to dial the correct number every time and I will not regale folks with longwinded anecdotes that go nowhere. Can’t someone help me end this quest?

• Dear Directory Deprived: All telephone service providers such as AT&T, Pacific Bell, Cat Communications International, Instatone, Quality Telephone, Inc., 1-800-Reconex, Telepacific communications, Wholesale Air-Time, Inc. and Verizon are happy to help new residents in town with telephone service and that includes providing them with a telephone directory. Depending on who you’ve signed up with, you should receive your telephone directory within a couple of weeks. If you don’t, Red Phone encourages you to contact your company’s customer relations representatives, who assist customers Monday through Friday during regular business hours. The Red Crusader uses Verizon’s white and yellow pages for Morgan Hill. You can contact Verizon’s directory ordering department by dialing 1 (800) 888-8448. If Verizon is not your telephone service provider, however, the company may charge you for the directory. The other option, and one that should be the last resort, is to contact the Association of Directory Publishers, which has more than 140 directory publishers who supply more than 2,200 directories in the country. One in the Times newsroom is from one of the association’s publishers, Phone Directory Company. You can contact them by calling 1 (800) 443-0801, or visit www.myphonedirectory.com.