Two Additional Central New York Communities Take Step Closer to Real TV Competition

Two Additional Central New York Communities Take Step Closer to Real TV Competition

Franchise Agreements in the Towns of DeWitt and Salina Pave the Way for Verizon FiOS TV

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of the Onondaga County towns of DeWitt and Salina are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television service, 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 franchise agreements were approved by the towns' boards Monday night (Aug 10).

The approvals bring to 158 the total number of New York municipalities that have authorized Verizon to provide FiOS TV service.

The company is in the process of building and installing the necessary video equipment in local central offices in the central New York region, and anticipates that FiOS TV service will be turned on for new customers in municipalities there later this year.

"There are significant economic development and consumer benefits in Verizon's rollout of FiOS TV to these central New York communities," said Andres Irlando, Verizon president for the New York region. "These franchise agreements clearly show the customer demand for choice in broadband, television and entertainment services.

"For too long, residents in central New York have been at a disadvantage by being locked in to one cable television provider -- in essence, a monopoly. Our goal is to provide our current and future customers with a choice, a far superior technology for their homes and businesses, and great value for their money," Irlando said.

Irlando also pointed out that the company has been marketing FiOS Internet and voice services in the central New York market for several years, and has gained a sizable market share. "We want to capitalize on that investment and offer these customers a fuller and more robust set of TV and entertainment services," he said.

Irlando noted that with thousands of employees in central New York, Verizon is a key employer in the region. Almost four years ago, Verizon opened a Fiber Solutions Center on Thompson Road in Syracuse, which acts as a customer service and tech help-desk for FiOS customers primarily in New York, but across the country as well. The center now employs about 400 people, most of whom are union-represented.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements between Verizon and DeWitt and Salina are subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

A staple in the New York business community with more than 32,000 employees in the state, Verizon is continuing to invest in the state's infrastructure by building, maintaining and enhancing its wireline and wireless networks across New York, including its state-of-the-art fiber-optic network, providing consumers and businesses with reliable FiOS services for their Internet, entertainment and voice services.

                         FiOS TV Service Highlights    FiOS TV service highlights include:    --  More than 500 all-digital channels grouped by genres such as       entertainment, sports, news, shopping, movies and family, making it       easy for audiences to find their favorite programming.   --  More than 115 HD channels in every FiOS TV market, with extraordinary       clarity and theater-quality sound.   --  An industry-leading library of more than 15,000 video-on-demand (VOD)       titles each month, 70 percent of which are free.  In addition, the VOD       library includes 1,400 HD titles per month.   --  An innovative interactive media guide (IMG) that helps customers       quickly and easily find and enjoy content from TV listings, VOD       catalogs and the digital video recorder (DVR), as well as personal       music and photos from a home network.  Among the features of the IMG       are:       --  Multi-Room DVR - Verizon's Home Media DVR allows customers to           stream recorded HD and standard-definition programs to up to six           other TV sets throughout the home.  This includes the ability to           watch three separately recorded shows on three TV sets at the same           time, plus pause recorded programming in one room and continue           watching in another.       --  Widgets - Customers have one-touch, on-demand access to  local           traffic and weather reports, daily local and national news           headlines, daily national sports headlines, community news, and           daily horoscopes.  In addition, FiOS TV's Widgets Bazaar provides           accessibility to Facebook, Twitter and ESPN Fantasy Football.       --  Free casual games - With the remote control and an HD set-top box,           customers can access chess, solitaire, sudoku and wordplay.       --  "What's Hot on FiOS TV" - Features information on the most-popular           programs currently being broadcast in the region and the most           popular VOD titles.       --  Return to Paused Programming - Allows customers to pause live           programming, change channels, and then return to the paused           program and pick up where they left off.       --  Channel sorting options - Customers can create two separate lists           of favorite channels for family members.  Customers also can           filter channels in the guide by genre, for instances where a           customer only may want to see HD content, international channels           or kids programming, among others.        --  Fantasy Football -- FiOS TV customers who are registered users of           ESPN Fantasy Football will have instant on-screen access to           personalized NFL statistics, including rosters, box scores,           scoring leaders and player information.   

Programming choices for Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Russian and other multicultural audiences are available in every market, making FiOS TV an outlet for emerging and independent networks to showcase their diverse programming.

Verizon's FiOS TV service was selected as the top-ranked residential television service provider in the Northeast region by J.D. Power and Associates for 2008. FiOS TV is currently available to more than 9.7 million homes in 14 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

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 20 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.*

The towns of DeWitt and Salina join a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In addition to these two communities, Verizon has been granted cable television franchises in the following municipalities:

   City of New York    Long Island  

Amityville, Asharoken, Atlantic Beach, Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, East Hills, East Rockaway, Farmingdale, Valley Stream, Freeport, Williston Park, New Hyde Park, Sands Point, Bayville, Old Field, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Garden City, Nissequogue, Northport, Poquott, East Williston, Head of the Harbor, Hewlett Bay Park, Mill Neck, Stewart Manor, Centre Island, Lake Grove, Lawrence, Lindenhurst, Long Beach, Malverne, Manorhaven, Huntington Bay, The Branch, Oyster Bay Cove, Flower Hill, Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Port Washington North, Rockville Centre, Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, Sea Cliff, Thomaston, Bellerose, Lloyd Harbor, Baxter Estates, Hempstead, Cove Neck, Brightwaters, Hewlett Harbor and Westbury; and the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Islip and Babylon

Westchester County

Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Irvington, Greenburgh, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe, White Plains, Rye Brook, North Castle, Mount Vernon, Mount Pleasant, Yonkers, Scarsdale, Bronxville, New Rochelle, Cortlandt, Peekskill, Buchanan, Rye, Larchmont, the Village of Mamaroneck, the Town of Mamaroneck, New Castle, Pelham Manor, Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor, the Town of Ossining, the Village of Ossining and the Town of Yorktown

Rockland County

Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, Clarkstown, Orangetown, Piermont, Airmont, the Town of Haverstraw, West Haverstraw, Chestnut Ridge, Ramapo, Spring Valley, Stony Point, the Village of Haverstraw, Suffern, Hillburn, Wesley Hills, Montebello, New Hempstead and Pomona

Dutchess County

Wappinger, Wappingers Falls, Village of Fishkill, Town of Fishkill, City of Poughkeepsie and the Town of Poughkeepsie.

   Orange County   Cornwall, Town of Newburgh and City of Newburgh    Erie County  

Amherst, Blasdell, Lackawanna, Village of Hamburg, Town of Hamburg, West Seneca, Tonawanda, Village of Orchard Park, Town of Orchard Park and Kenmore

   Putnam County   Kent, Carmel    Onondaga County   East Syracuse, North Syracuse, Cicero, and Clay    Cayuga County   Fleming    * NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.    

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) , headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 87 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 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.

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Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Richard Young, +1-973-649-2279, richard.j.young@verizon.com

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

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Profile: International Entertainment