Shop Talk: Q&A With Donna Cupelo, Verizon New England
Photo/Christina H. Davis
Donna Cupelo, Region president, Verizon New England
Donna Cupelo, region president for Verizon New England, may work out of an office in Boston, but she’s no stranger to Worcester and Central Massachusetts. She’s a lifelong resident of Franklin, and for nearly a decade during the 1980s, she worked out of Worcester. She got her start in the industry working for New England Telephone and stuck with it through various mergers and acquisitions and name changes until today. She’s responsible for Verizon’s landline and FiOS business in the region. Here, she talks about what it’s been like to work in such a dynamic industry.
>> How do you describe the industry that you’re in? Is there a label that fits?
We think of ourselves as a broadband company and an entertainment company. And truthfully, I think broadband is very broadly defined because it really does incorporate many kinds of technology that are Internet based. Those can be landline, wireless and a combination of both. Today’s networks tend to run in silos. But what you’re going to see more and more of are hybrid global networks that incorporate the best of the wireline and wireless technologies together because one size doesn’t fit it all.
>> When you say Verizon is an entertainment company, what does that refer to?
It is referring not only to the wireline cable side of the business that we started to offer through FiOS. But it also refers to our copper-based networks. We partner with Direct TV and we provide a multitude of content to customers. And then thirdly, through our wireless networks, we’ve started to do some experimentation with various groups to provide video services through the wireless networks as well.
>> Do you ever wake up and wonder, How did I get here? I went to work for the phone company and now I’m in this crazy industry…?
I never viewed it as just a phone company. When I started in the business back in ‘78, the company was going through a transformation. It was freed from a large corporation, that being the bell system, and it was given the opportunity to develop a lot of new technologies. That just continued to flow and grow in a lot of different directions. I do sometimes say to myself, Boy, this industry and our company has transformed itself over and over again. Each of those transformations, I think, were for the better.
>> Do you have any reaction to the news that Google is planning on testing out ultra high speed broadband networks in select U.S. communities?
Actually, we think it’s a great example of the kind of innovation that’s taking place in our industry. Google, which started out as a search engine, has brought forth a lot of different software applications. For example, we partner with Google with one of our wireless phones, the Droid. They’re now interested in doing some experimentation in growing networks to up to 100 megabits of speed. We know that networks will accept that kind of speed, depending on the electronics. We really applaud those kinds of efforts by Google and others.
WEB ONLY >> What is Verizon's footprint in the other states in New England?
In the northern states - Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont - we only have a Verizon wireless offering. Fairpoint Communications has responsibility for the landline business. We also have folks from our Verizon business group that provide larger customers with Internet-based networks and services in the northern states. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we have both very robust wireline networks and we also have very strong wireless networks.
>> When you work in this business, can you ever be disconnected?
I don’t think I can recall a time when I was disconnected. I would say on a positive note, I feel great about the opportunity on a personal and professional level to be connected all the time. I have two children who are in college now, and it is wonderful to always have some form of communication with them, even if it’s not live. Professionally, in the role I play now, there is no way I’m not ever connected because there are many things that happen on a daily business that I need to know.
>> What’s been the toughest less you’ve had to learn as a manger?
The toughest lesson has been to learn how to delegate and trust the very qualified people who work for and with me. I’ve also learned that decision making is not always easy, particularly in tough times, but someone has to make the decisions. Finally, the development of people and leadership skills is important to keep a business growing and profitable.
Watch as Donna Cupelo describes what she most enjoys about her job:
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