Verizon Ate My Homework July 16, 2004March 25, 2012 After 19 years with the same phone number, and generally paying my bill two or three months’ in advance, I had $116.71 due June 22 and returned from a trip today to find that the phone had been disconnected for nonpayment. Getting service restored took a good bit of time . . . and I have spent the rest of the night, when I could have been writing my column, trying to think of ways to destroy Verizon. I thought that was more important. More later.