atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telecom Service & Providers The State of Telephone Service Providers.

Ajkula66,

In my 45 years in the telecommunications industry, I have worked "both sides." When I worked for Bell Telephone, we were well trained and were required to adhere to "standards." There was no FCC Part 68 it was The Bellcore Specs. Everything was done according to established standards.

Then, in 1968 when the Carterfone decision was handed down and the Bell-AT&T breakup occurred, there was a free for all mentality in the "new" interconnect business. That's when I started to notice the lack of proper training and the emphasis on quantity and no so much quality.

Today, it is rare to find a really qualified LEC tech. There are a few and I really respect them and work with them very well. The techs we see, for the most part, are given too many jobs, because there are so few of them, and are, many times, not equipped with proper test equipment and are expected to know everything about OSP, inside equipment and all the nuances of individual customers. This is an impossible task. Back in the day, a LEC tech lived in the community, knew every wire closet, piece of equipment and pole from the CO to the customer. Today, the LEC tech can be from anywhere and, many times, they need directions to find the customer.

On this side, more often than not, it's worse. There are so very few "trained" techs. Many of the people working in the telecommunications field today have little or no training. Some come from tech schools and barely can remember color code. Standards? What are standards? The IT people who think they know everything are the biggest problem in the industry. They only know enough to be dangerous. When the telecommunications industry went from a service industry to big business, everyone lost...the customer, the techs and the LECs.

Rcaman

I'm opening this topic and moving the last few posts in the Favorite Tools topic located in the General forum. This will become a stand-alone discussion.

Quoted for truth. So far I've only met one LEC technician who held his work to any standard. The dozen or so others could care less. Slap a fix (i.e. bandaid) on it and move onto the next one.

I agree 1000% with that and not just our industry either. People who had secure jobs were thrown under the bus by greedy manufacturers. The entire telecom industry was repurposed for IT people because they have a strong presence in nearly every business. One reason for that is because of the respect they get because there are formal college degrees and certifications that impress management types.

We, after all, are simple tradesmen who charge a ridiculous amount of money to do things that their college educated IT person should be able to do.

Now I'm happy to see that the IT people are being thrown under the bus by Hosted. And that's the only good thing I can say about Hosted.

-Hal

Couldn't have said it any better ajkula66. On the 18th I begin my career as a Network tech and while I'm not sure I will enjoy being inside all the time, I will enjoy not dealing with arrogant customers, IT people, and vendors. And I will be responsible for my offices and not have to worry about dealing with the less than stellar work of some co-workers.

As for tools, all you need is your crackberry, 4DX checklist, and T1 suitcase.

The very best luck to you in the new environment. The only other position I'd ever consider within the company - being a COT - is out of reach for someone with my measly time-in-title, and will likely remain so.

@rcaman:

You bring up numerous very valid points. Nowadays, the "numbers game" is the only requirement that is clearly communicated from all management levels down. Service quality, customer satisfaction and taking pride in one's work are merely buzzwords 99% of the time.

We've lost many seasoned lower-level managers as well as craft people over the past 6-7 years and it shows - to anyone who cares to see, that is - but I don't hold much hope that things will get any better. Apathy is king nowadays, and for that reason alone, if I could retire tomorrow, I most certainly would, and not because I despise the actual work I'm expected to perform. It's the amount of BS - starting with spending hours on hold every day to get anything done - that is wearing my patience out, and fast.

Between customers accepting the (lack of ) cellular connection quality as the new standard, almighty IT folks ruling the roost and LECs being hellbent on burying the buried plant altogether, the craftsmanship that some of us still take pride in belongs in the previous millennium altogether, I'm sorry to say.