Ready, set, whine

With its announcement today of a new Premium Technical Support service, Verizon is taking a large bull by its considerable horns.

Now we wait and see who gets gored.

Internet service providers of all types have seen the cost of customer service go up as more consumers and small businesses use their broadband services and attach an ever-more complex set of things to their PCs. Home routers and wireless networks are one major challenge in and of themselves, but there are also other devices like iPods, digital cameras, CD/DVR writers and gaming consoles that are routinely connected to a PC.

And as anyone who's attempted to get customer support from hardware and software companies knows, the chances for meaningful help in a reasonable time frame are slim to none.

So what do us non-techie types do? We call our broadband service providers and ask for their help.

Granted, that can also mean sitting on hold for long periods of time and talking to someone named Mary with a suspiciously Indian accent. But someone does answer the phone and try to help.

Later this month, the Verizon broadband customers who get a virus problem or want to connect a router and try to get help from the friendly phone company are going to get a shock -- they'll be told this help now comes with a price tag, either as a one-time charge or a monthly fee.

I expect the usual outcry about the phone company ripping people off and squeezing every possible penny out of poor defenseless customers. But what Verizon is doing is more than likely what every broadband service provider will be forced to do if they want to continue to provide a high level of customer service.

Consumers want to embrace new technologies, but we don't want the hassle of figuring out how they work. As long as the phone company is willing to give out free advice, we're anxious to use it, especially since Microsoft, Dell and other technology companies learned the "free support" lesson a long time ago.

That won't stop the whining, however, when Verizon decides it can't afford to be our big free-support daddy. I can almost hear it now.

E-mail me at cwilson3@telephonyonline.com.