Strike left Verizon with backlog of 100,000 FiOS orders

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) says it is still working through a backlog of 100,000 orders for its FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services that it received during the two-week employee strike in August that hampered its field operations.

The strike by CWA and IBEW members left Verizon with a massive backlog of FiOS orders.

The telco, which suspended new customer installations during the strike, disclosed the backlog Monday in an announcement about its response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. While the backlog shows strong demand for its FiOS products, the challenge for Verizon will be to fulfill new customer orders. If subscribers are forced to wait weeks for new cable TV or high-speed Internet service, they may jump to Verizon rivals such as Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC).

The true impact that the strike, which involved 45,000 Verizon employees, has had on subscriber growth won't be known until October, when the company reports third-quarter earnings. In July, Verizon reported that it picked up 189,000 FiOS Internet and 184,000 FiOS TV net subscriber additions during the second quarter.

For more:
-  see news release

Special Report: Verizon strike: Full coverage

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