Although Verizon has apparently been testing this for several months, I hadn’t noticed until now. In fact, I am certain that Verizon hadn’t implemented this “service” in the Richmond area until a few days ago.

I mis-typed a URL into my browser this morning and instead of the standard Page Not Found error, I got a DNS Assistance page from Verizon:

This smells like the VeriSign “service” that landed them in hot water with ICANN.

In a small “Learn More” link at the bottom of the page, Verizon links over to an infospace.com page that details their new service.

You reached the preceding search results page because Verizon is using specific Domain Name Service (DNS) Servers to look up domain names. These DNS Servers eliminate dead-end “no such name” error pages you can encounter as you surf the web. This search service is designed to make your web surfing experience more productive. No software was installed on your computer for this service to work.

Actually no. I’ve reached this page because Verizon has decided to hijack my DNS request instead of sending back the appropriate browser response.

Fortunately, Verizon does offer an Opt Out link (although I’d argue that they should let people Opt In instead) but it takes you through a maze of options to get you where you need to go instead of simply killing the “service”. Once there, the solution provided by Verizon requires that you either change your DNS settings in your hardware device (router, gateway, or modem) or in your operating system—neither of which are something the average computer user will be capable of.

Oh - and for those of you on a Mac, Verizon offers NO assistance on modifying your DNS settings (fortunately, it’s not all that complicated on a Mac). All you need to do is add this IP (68.238.0.14) to the DNS Servers config under System Preferences -> Network -> TCP/IP