TV Competition is a Step Closer in Four Central New York Communities

NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of the central New York towns of Lysander and Van Buren, the Village of Baldwinsville, and the City of Auburn 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.

Lysander granted a video franchise to Verizon on April 12, followed by Baldwinsville on April 15, Van Buren on April 20, and Auburn on Thursday night (April 22).  

The addition of the four cable television franchises brings to 174 the total number of New York municipalities that have authorized Verizon to provide FiOS TV service.  

"Our total fiber network delivers technology innovations like the FiOS TV multi-room DVR and on-screen Twitter and Facebook Widget applications that cable just can't provide," said Jim Gerace, Verizon president for the New York region.  "These franchise agreements recognize customers' demand for choice in broadband, television and entertainment services."  

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

One of the largest New York employers, with more than 29,000 employees in the state, Verizon continues to invest in the state's infrastructure by building, maintaining and enhancing its wireline and wireless networks across New York, including its advanced fiber-optic network, providing consumers and businesses with reliable FiOS services for their Internet, entertainment and voice services.

FiOS TV Service Highlights

FiOS TV offers more than 595 all-digital channels, including 134 HD channels, in New York, all with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound.  Customers also have access to FiOS TV's video-on-demand (VOD) service, with 2,800 HD titles per month.  FiOS TV also provides next-generation interactive services including an advanced interactive media guide, social TV, news, and entertainment widgets; remote DVR management; multi-room DVR, and more.

More information about FiOS TV features is available at http://www.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSTV/MediaGuide/MediaGuide.htm.

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

Lysander, Van Buren, Baldwinsville and Auburn 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 four communities, Verizon has been granted cable television franchises in the following municipalities:

City of New York

Long Island

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

Westchester County

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

Rockland County

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

Dutchess County

Fishkill (Town), Fishkill (Village), Poughkeepsie (City), Poughkeepsie (Town), Wappinger, Wappingers Falls

Orange County

Cornwall, Cornwall-on-Hudson, Newburgh (City), Newburgh (Town)

Erie County

Amherst, Blasdell, Hamburg (Town), Hamburg (Village), Kenmore, Lackawanna, Orchard Park (Town), Orchard Park (Village), Tonawanda, West Seneca

Putnam County

Carmel, Kent

Onondaga County

Camillus (Town), Cicero, Clay, DeWitt, East Syracuse, Fayetteville, Geddes, North Syracuse, Salina, Skaneateles (Town), Skaneateles (Village), Solvay

Cayuga County

Fleming, Owasco, Sennett

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: 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 nearly 93 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 217,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon