Verizon's FiOS TV Approved by Two More Long Island Communities

Verizon's FiOS TV Approved by Two More Long Island Communities

Town of Islip, Floral Park Join 49 Other New York Municipalities, Introducing Real Choice for Cable TV

ISLIP, N.Y., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of Long Island's Town of Islip and village of Floral Park are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television services, thanks to newly approved agreements authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service, delivered over the most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes. The Town of Islip covers 21 individual communities.

The Board of Trustees for both municipalities granted video franchises to Verizon Friday (July 27), paving the way for video choice in the community. These votes bring to 51 the total number of New York communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.

"Reaching over 50 communities in New York with FiOS TV in less than two years is a significant milestone for us," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "As a result of these franchises, consumers in the Town of Islip and Floral Park will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company. Competition like this drives innovation and value, and puts the consumer in control."

The Islip franchise covers the Town's unincorporated communities of Bayport, Bay Shore, Baywood, Bohemia, Brentwood, Central Islip, East Islip, Great River, Islip, Islip Terrace, North Bay Shore, North Great River, Oakdale, Ronkonkoma, Sayville, West Bay Shore, West Islip, West Sayville and parts of Hauppauge, Holbrook and Holtsville. Each incorporated area of Islip, as well as all other incorporated areas of New York, must conduct its own negotiations with Verizon for a video franchise.

Both Islip and Floral Park join a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In addition to Islip and Floral Park, Verizon has been granted video franchises on Long Island in the villages of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, East Rockaway, Farmingdale, Valley Stream, Freeport, Williston Park, New Hyde Park, Sands Point, Bayville and Old Field, and in the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead and Oyster Bay. Verizon also has video franchises in the Rockland County communities of Spring Valley, Chestnut Ridge, Airmont, Piermont, Orangetown, Clarkstown, Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, West Haverstraw and the Town of Haverstraw; and in the Westchester County communities of Yonkers, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, North Castle, White Plains, Rye Brook, Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe and the Town of Greenburgh.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements approved by Islip and Floral Park for Verizon are subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

Verizon's FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, 28 high-definition (HD) channels in the New York market and access to more than 8,600 on-demand titles, 60 percent of which are free.

Verizon's fiber network delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.*

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 60.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Source: Verizon Communications Inc.

CONTACT: Heather Wilner of Verizon Communications Inc., 212-321-8333,
heather.b.wilner@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html

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Profile: International Entertainment