TV Choice and Competition Near for Thousands More Rhode Island Residents

TV Choice and Competition Near for Thousands More Rhode Island Residents

State Approves Video Licenses for Verizon; Thousands More Households in 12 More Communities Soon Can Get FiOS TV

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of 12 more Rhode Island communities are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television services, thanks to newly approved licenses authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service via the most advanced all-digital, fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes.

On Thursday (12/20), the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carries granted Verizon licenses to operate cable TV service in Service Areas 2, 3 and 8, paving the way for video choice for thousands more Ocean State households. Verizon secured a license to provide video service in Service Area 6 in June and since then has been offering TV service to seven communities there.

Service Areas 2, 3 and 8 include the communities of Charlestown, Cranston, Foster, Hopkinton, Johnston, Narragansett, North Providence, Providence, Richmond, Scituate, South Kingstown and Westerly. Verizon expects to begin offering FiOS TV in those communities within the next few weeks. Initially, FiOS TV will be available to some 29 percent of households in these communities, with continued expansion in the coming year.

"We are thrilled to be able to bring FiOS TV to thousands more residents in Rhode Island," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. "Since the launch of FiOS TV in Rhode Island earlier this year, we are continuing our efforts to meet the consumer demand for cable TV choice."

FiOS TV is the company's new fiber-optic television service, which offers a better-quality picture, more high-definition and on-demand programs, and more reliable service at competitive prices.

Verizon currently offers FiOS TV to more than 80,000 households in seven Rhode Island communities -- Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, North Kingstown, Warwick, West Greenwich and West Warwick. FiOS TV is also available in locations in New York, New Jersey, California, Delaware, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Virginia.

"As a result of this new franchise, consumers will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company," said Cupelo. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and it puts the consumer in control."

"Verizon will compete aggressively for subscribers in Rhode Island with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network," Cupelo said. Verizon soon will begin its door-to-door sales campaign and other marketing activities in these communities, explaining the many advantages of FiOS TV to local consumers.

Verizon is the first company to offer a fiber-to-the premises (FTTP) network, connecting homes and businesses directly to fiber optics on a widespread scale.

FiOS TV offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, more than two dozen high-definition channels, video on demand and more. Fiber 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 allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet service at download speeds up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 10 Mbps.*

* 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 63.7 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 nearly 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

CONTACT: Lillian McGee, +1-401-525-2134, lillian.m.mcgee@verizon.com, or
Phil Santoro, +1-617-743-4760, philip.g.santoro@verizon.com, both of Verizon

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

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

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Profile: International Entertainment