Gaithersburg, Md., Homes and Businesses Now Have the Best Alternative for Their TV and Broadband Services - Verizon's FiOS TV

Gaithersburg, Md., Homes and Businesses Now Have the Best Alternative for Their TV and Broadband Services - Verizon's FiOS TV

Company Launches New Era of Television Entertainment With More Channels, More HD, More Video on Demand and Faster Internet Speeds Than Old-Fashioned Cable TV

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The future of television has arrived for more than 2,100 homes and businesses in Gaithersburg as Verizon introduces FiOS TV via the company's revolutionary all-fiber-optic network.

FiOS TV and Internet services are available this week in parts of the following communities: Brighton Highlands, Candlewood Park, Deer Park, Derwood Station, Medland Station, Needwood Estates, Oakmont Manor, Parkside Estates, Walnut Grove, Walnut Hill and West Deer Park.

"Consumers in these communities at long last have a better alternative for TV," said Mary Ellen Payne, Verizon's senior vice president of marketing for the Potomac region. "The response to our FiOS TV and Internet services has been great in Montgomery County and other parts of Maryland. FiOS TV will bring consumers here a choice that is truly different from their old cable TV company."

Verizon delivers FiOS TV over the nation's largest digital, all-fiber network, with more than 500 total channels available in Maryland - including 132 high-definition (HD) channels - more HD channels than the region's current traditional cable provider, Comcast, offers.

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. This network also offers FiOS Internet Service, which delivers downstream speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second)* and upstream speeds of up to 20 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice services.

"Our advanced 100 percent fiber-optic network was built for HD, and right out of the box we're making more HD channels available than Comcast has provided after decades in the business," Payne added. "With all-fiber connections running straight to their homes, viewers get both HD and standard-definition TV that is eye-popping."

FiOS TV has earned certification from the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes and businesses. For the second year in a row, FiOS TV scored highest in customer satisfaction among residential television providers in the J.D. Power and Associates' "2009 U.S. Residential Television Service Satisfaction Study" for the East region.

New Bundles Provide Flexibility, Savings

Verizon customers in Gaithersburg can save with new versatile quad-play service packages that combine wireless, FiOS TV, FiOS Internet and home phone services, creating the company's first fully integrated communications and entertainment bundles carried over - the most reliable wireless network and the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.

New customers who sign up by Jan. 16, 2010, for FiOS quad-play or triple-play bundles will receive $150 back via a Visa prepaid card if service is continued for 60 days with no past-due balance. Qualifying Verizon FiOS bundle customers have free access to some 14,000 free Wi-Fi hot spots located in airports, cafes, retail stores and other public places across the country. For a list of hot-spot locations and other details, visit www.verizon.net/hotspots.

Current Verizon Wireless customers can choose to add Verizon FiOS Internet or FiOS TV services, or both, to complete a bundle. Current Verizon FiOS Internet or FiOS TV customers can add Verizon Wireless voice service to their bundles.

The basic Verizon quad-play FiOS bundle consists of the national Verizon Wireless calling plan of 450 minutes, Freedom Essentials voice service, FiOS Internet service with downstream/upstream connection speeds of up to 15/5 Mbps and FiOS TV Essentials service for $134.99** per month with a one-year agreement.

Additional quad- and triple-play bundles featuring different FiOS Internet speeds, FiOS TV plans and Verizon Wireless calling plans are also available.

Gaithersburg-area consumers who want to obtain more information about FiOS services or to place an order can call 1-877-VZISBIG (1-877-894-7244) or visit www.verizon.com/fiostv. Business customers can learn more about business-grade FiOS services at www.verizon.com/bizfiostv.

   FiOS TV Service Highlights    FiOS TV service highlights include:   --  More than 500 all-digital channels grouped by genres such as       entertainment, sports, news, marketplace, movies and family, making it       easy for audiences to find their favorite programming.   --  Approximately 132 high-definition (HD) channels in Maryland, with       extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound.   --  An industry-leading library of more than 18,000 video-on-demand (VOD)       titles each month - 70 percent of which are free.  In addition, the       VOD library includes more than 2,400 HD titles per month.   --  An innovative interactive media guide (IMG) that provides       next-generation, personalized interactive services, along with 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 (SD) 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.     --  Media Manager - This feature lets FiOS DVR customers access personal       photos, videos, music and slide shows from their home computers and       play them on their TVs.  Subscribers also can search for and enjoy       online videos from blip.tv, Dailymotion and Veoh on their TV screens.     --  Widgets - Customers have one-touch, on-demand access to personalized       information such as traffic reports, daily local and national news       headlines, fantasy sports, daily national sports headlines, and daily       horoscopes, as well as interactive social TV applications from Twitter       and Facebook, all while still enjoying their TV programming.        Additional widgets include:     --  ESPN 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.     --  Pro Football Widget - One-stop access to NFL stats and the NFL RedZone       channel, giving customers who subscribe to the channel the ability to       set on-screen alerts for whenever a team is moving inside its       opponent's 20-yard line.  The alerts, once set up, pop up at the       bottom of the TV screen while subscribers are watching any channel.     --  KODAK Widget - This widget gives registered KODAK Gallery users       instant on-screen access to photos and slideshows that they have       stored on Kodak's online digital photo service.     --  Weatherbug Widget - Provides instant access to real-time, personalized       weather information and forecasts.  Subscribers can customize weather       reports by any zip code, pull up hourly or seven-day forecasts, and       view radar weather imagery to see how local conditions are developing.     --  Remote DVR Management - Subscribers can remotely control their DVRs       online, and via any cell phone with a data plan.  Customers can use       the service to remotely review, change or add recording requests;       delete recorded programs; browse and search TV and VOD listings; set       parental controls; and more.     --  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.     --  Dual Pause and Play - 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 may       only want to see HD content, international channels or kids       programming, among others.    

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.

The value of FiOS TV extends to the installation and customer support. Specially trained Verizon technicians will install the service and acquaint subscribers with FiOS TV features and services. Verizon is waiving the installation fee for up to three existing TV outlets, and there is no charge to install a needed optical network terminal at the subscriber's home. Charges for other installation services, such as additional outlets, may apply. Verizon provides 24 x 7 technical assistance by phone from its specialized Fiber Solutions Centers.

Verizon FiOS customers also have access to the Verizon In-Home Agent, a free application that gives them valuable tools to set up services, configure Wi-Fi links, set up and manage voice mail, auto-fix video problems, and trouble-shoot and correct Internet issues - all with the simple click of a mouse.

In Maryland, Verizon's FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services are available to dozens of communities in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, including Aberdeen, Annapolis, Bel Air, LaPlata and Rockville.

* Internet speeds refer to the connection speed between the user's location and Verizon's central office. Actual surfing speeds will vary based on many factors and be lower than connection speed.

** Plus applicable taxes and fees.

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 89 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 230,000 and last year generated consolidated 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.

First Call Analyst:
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Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Sandra Arnette, +1-410-393-7109, sandra.u.arnette@verizon.com

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

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

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Profile: International Entertainment