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POTTSTOWN, Pa. - The Montgomery County borough of Schwenksville brought its residents a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the borough council's vote last night (3/9) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.
The borough is the first Montgomery County jurisdiction to grant Verizon a cable franchise, following the lead of the Bucks County borough of Hulmeville and the Chester County township of Valley. Verizon will announce availability plans for FiOS TV in Schwenksville later this year.
Verizon, which launched FiOS TV last September in Keller, Texas, currently offers the service in parts of California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Virginia. The company will make FiOS TV available in Pennsylvania markets where it has negotiated franchise agreements with local authorities.
"We applaud Schwenksville officials for their foresight in putting into place the foundation that will allow consumers to choose their video provider as easily as they now choose their phone company," said James V. O'Rourke, Verizon Pennsylvania president and CEO. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will compete aggressively for business in Montgomery County with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network.
"We hope to bring these benefits to more Montgomery County residents by reaching similar agreements with other municipalities."
Under a 15-year agreement, Verizon will be able to offer FiOS TV to Schwenksville residents. In addition, the agreement requires Verizon to pay the community franchise fees based on the company's gross revenues on cable services.
FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming with more than 330 total channels, nearly two-dozen high-definition channels, video on demand and more. It is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. 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. Verizon's network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional cable systems, such as duplicate "head ends" where the TV service receives national programming.
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.* FiOS Internet Service currently is available to many consumers and small businesses in Montgomery County, as well as parts of Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties.
* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a Dow 30 company, is a leader in delivering broadband and other communication innovations to wireline and wireless customers. Verizon operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 51.3 million customers nationwide; one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks; and one of the nation's premier wireline networks, serving home, business and wholesale customers. Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 250,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
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