More Prince George's County, Maryland, Consumers Now on Track to Enjoy Verizon FiOS TV Experience

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - More than 45,000 Maryland homes will be able to gain the many benefits of competition for television service, thanks to action by 16 Prince George's County municipalities to approve cable franchises with Verizon for the company's FiOS TV service.

The municipalities, which have approved franchises with Verizon over the past several months, are: Bladensburg, College Park, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, District Heights, Edmonston, Glenarden, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Landover Hills, Mt. Rainier, New Carrollton, North Brentwood, Riverdale Park, Seat Pleasant and University Park. 

Prince George's County approved a franchise with Verizon in November 2006, and the company began offering FiOS TV to more than 56,000 households in parts of the county late last month.

"Prince George's County consumers are voting with their remotes, dropping their cable provider for a superior alternative - FiOS TV," said William R. Roberts, president of Verizon Maryland.  "There's a real thirst for more choice and competition in Prince George's County, and FiOS TV is the right tonic.

"With FiOS TV, consumers get more reliability, better quality and value - all from Verizon, a name they can trust."

Verizon is providing FiOS services on the nation's most advanced digital all-fiber-optic network. Only Verizon's fiber network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes and businesses.  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 Prince George's County, Verizon offers FiOS TV in parts of Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery counties, as well as Annapolis, Bowie and Laurel. 

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 of up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 5 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 more than 59 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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