Verizon: Business is swell

Verizon chief operating officer Dennis Strigl said the company's main business hasn't been hampered by the economy.

Strigl's comments, delivered at the Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications conference via Webcast, came a few days after AT&T spooked the industry by noting that its wireline customers weren't paying the bills.

Strigl said he wasn't sure what the "hubbub" about the economy was about because Verizon said the company wasn't seeing an impact from a slowing economy. Verizon's small business and enterprise units are on track, but had seen a slight gain in bad debt in its wireless unit, but that was due to more prepaid customers.

In fact, Strigl said he was more worried about competition from cable rivals in broadband access than anything.