More TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Sutton, Mass.

    Town Approves Video License for Verizon; Thousands More Households Soon

Can Get FiOS TV



    SUTTON, Mass., July 16 /EMWNews/ -- Residents of Sutton are a major

step closer to having another choice for their cable television services,

thanks to a newly approved agreement authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS

TV service via the most advanced all-digital, fiber-optic network straight

to customers' homes.



    The Board of Selectmen in Sutton, granted a cable franchise to Verizon

Tuesday (July 15), paving the way for video choice for thousands more

Massachusetts households.



    The board's vote brings to 77 the total number of Massachusetts

communities where Verizon's FiOS TV is or will soon be available.



    "We are thrilled to be able to bring FiOS TV to residents in Sutton,"

said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode

Island. "Since the launch of FiOS TV in Massachusetts last year, we are

continuing our efforts to meet the consumer demand for cable TV choice."



    FiOS TV is the company's new fiber-optic television service, which

offers a better-quality picture, more high-definition and on-demand

programs, and more reliable service at competitive prices.



    Verizon currently offers FiOS TV in 73 Massachusetts communities [see

list below] as well as other locations in New York, New Jersey, California,

Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Rhode Island,

Texas and Virginia.



    "As a result of this new franchise, consumers in Sutton will be able to

choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company,"

said Cupelo. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and

it puts the consumer in control."



    Verizon is currently in negotiations with several other communities in

Massachusetts to obtain additional franchises. For more information on the

Verizon franchise process in the state, log on to http://www.verizon.com/ma.



    Verizon research indicates 87 percent of Massachusetts residents favor

more competition and choice for video services. Independent studies have

shown that competition in the video market brings enormous benefits to

consumers in the form of reduced prices, better packages and improved

service.



    The Sutton franchise agreement contains provisions for the network's

future growth; financial support and capacity for educational and

government access channels; cable service to government buildings; and

other important benefits to the town, including insurance, indemnification

and enforcement protections.



    "Verizon will compete aggressively for subscribers in Sutton with our

FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network,"

Cupelo said. Verizon soon will begin its door-to-door sales campaign in

Sutton, explaining to local consumers the many advantages of FiOS TV.



    Verizon is the first company to offer a fiber-to-the premises (FTTP)

network, connecting homes and businesses directly to fiber optics on a

widespread scale.



    FiOS TV offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, 30

high-definition channels, thousands of video-on-demand titles and more.

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 FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also allows the company

to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet service at

download speeds up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to

20 Mbps.*



    * NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.



    [FiOS TV is available in Abington, Acton, Andover, Arlington, Bedford,

Belmont, Boxborough, Boxford, Braintree, Burlington, Canton, Dedham,

Dunstable, Framingham, Franklin, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hingham, Holliston,

Hopkinton, Ipswich, Lakeville, Lawrence, Lincoln, Littleton, Lexington,

Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marion, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett,

Medfield, Medway, Melrose, Methuen, Middleborough, Nahant, Natick, Needham,

Newton, Norfolk, North Andover, North Reading, Norwood, Plymouth, Reading,

Rochester, Rockland, Rowley, Sherborn, Southborough, Stoneham, Sudbury,

Swampscott, Taunton, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Tyngsborough, Wakefield,

Walpole, Waltham, Wareham, Wayland, Wellesley, Wenham, West Newbury,

Westborough, Westwood, Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn. The company also

holds TV franchises in Ashland, Stoughton and Stow, Mass.]



    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 67 million customers nationwide.

Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers

innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world,

and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged

communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's

most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employed a

diverse workforce of approximately 232,000 as of the end of the first

quarter 2008 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of

$93.5 billion. For more information, visit http://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

http://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.