A decision could come as soon as tomorrow in the matter of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)'s New York grounding controversy. (See Verizon Opines on Grounding Gripes and VZ Verifies FiOS Grounding Failures.)

Though regulators at the New York Public Service Commission have so far failed to explain how they let Verizon continually install improperly grounded FiOS fiber-to-the-home services for some two years after finding evidence that the telco's installation work wasn't always up to code, they'll get a chance to do more jawing tomorrow. The NYPSC is set to meet at 10:30 a.m., and Verizon's plan for correcting its improperly grounded homes is one of the items on the official agenda.

The recommendations for what the NYPSC ought to do have varied widely. Some cable companies want Verizon to let them know days before it installs FiOS in a cable home so they can send technicians (and, probably, sales people) to make sure the FiOS installers don't harm the cable plant. Some of the Commission's staff want to prevent Verizon from installing any new FiOS homes until all the previously installed homes in its network come under compliance.

Earlier, as part of its case against Verizon, the New York Public Service Commission entered a series of hideous photos into the public record showing just how off kilter a lot of Verizon's handiwork had been. Light Reading published the photos in this story: Verizon Foes Ground & Pound in New York.

Now the telco union, Communications Workers of America (CWA) , has offered another photo set, this time implicating New York cable companies for the exact same type of shoddy workmanship that Verizon is being chastised for. A few of those photos, as filed with the New York Public Service Commission on Oct. 10, are right here:



The CWA's stance is that safe and secure grounding shouldn't be limited to Verizon's network. "Indeed, we recommended that the PSC institute an audit of all cable installations and, if problems are identified, require the cable providers to develop remediation plans under a PSC proceeding," wrote CWA representative Kenneth R. Peres in the letter to the NYPSC.

Though this seems a matter where local politicians are getting spun in a circle by competing cable and telco interests, the decision could make it more difficult for Verizon to get other municipalities to approve video franchise requests related to its FiOS network expansion.

{column}— Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading