"It has all the problems of a cellphone system, but none of the advantages," says Pat Briody, who has had a house on Fire Island for 40 years, reported on WNYC July 22, 2013.  It looks like not all customers are happy with Voicelink on Fire Island according to WNYC radio report (click here to hear the report “Residents Forced to Live Without Landlines”). 

The CWA National Union sounded the warning early this year that VoiceLink will cost NYers and CWA Members thousands of good middle-class jobs, if the company is allowed to force consumers off traditional copper landlines and on to VoiceLink.   CWA Members have written thousands of letters to the PSC demanding the watchdog to stand up for workers and customers and refuse to give Verizon tariff relief for VoiceLink.   During this pass legislative session the NYS Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill to stop Verizon from pushing customer on to VoiceLink.  Yet, the NYS Senate under a Republican majority  killed the bill in committee refusing to allow it to come out for a vote.  In CWA Local 1103’s jurisdiction, Republican Gregg Ball in spite of receiving hundreds of calls from CWA Members refused to fight the bill and our jobs.