Hampton, Va., Residents to See More Choice, Competition as City Council Awards Cable Franchise to Verizon

2008-07-17 09:34:00

    Verizon to Offer Citizens FiOS TV, the Only TV Service



    Delivered Over the Nation's Most Advanced,



    All-Fiber-Optic Network Straight to Homes and Businesses



    HAMPTON, Va., July 17 /EMWNews/ -- Hampton citizens are a major step

closer to having an innovative, reliable and competitive alternative for

their cable television services, thanks to a unanimous vote by the City

Council Wednesday evening (July 16) authorizing Verizon to offer its

fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.



    FiOS TV offers consumers and businesses a broad range of programming

choices and superior picture quality from the only TV service delivered

over the nation's most advanced all-fiber network directly connecting to

millions of individual homes and businesses.



    The 15-year cable franchise covers approximately 55,000 households in

Hampton. Verizon plans to begin offering FiOS TV shortly to parts of the

city where the company has completed its all-fiber network upgrade.



    "It's clear from the tremendous demand for FiOS TV that Virginians want

choice and competition for their TV service," said Robert W. Woltz Jr.,

president of Verizon Virginia. "FiOS TV offers a clear, superior

alternative to the incumbent cable provider -- powered by our advanced

fiber-optic network.



    "Hampton Roads residents and businesses are saying 'yes' to FiOS TV in

rapidly growing numbers, and we hope to increase those numbers even more as

we build our all-fiber network in Hampton," said Woltz.



    Hampton joins Chesapeake, Newport News, Poquoson and Virginia Beach in

granting Verizon the authority to compete for cable services. The company

currently is building its all-fiber network and negotiating cable

franchises in Portsmouth and York County.



    Verizon also offers FiOS TV in Northern Virginia and the Richmond area.



    Virginia residents who are FiOS TV-eligible have the option to trim

their monthly bills by bundling FiOS TV service, FiOS Internet service and

the Verizon Freedom Essentials unlimited calling plan, all for $104.99 a

month with a one-year commitment. They also can add a Verizon Wireless

calling plan for a Grand Slam of communications and entertainment services.



    FiOS TV Service Highlights



    FiOS TV service highlights include:



    -- More than 400 all-digital channels grouped by genres such as

entertainment, sports, news, shopping, movies and family, making it easy

for audiences to find their favorite programming.



    -- A total of 27 high-definition channels in the Hampton Roads market,

with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound. The company will add

approximately 25 more HD channels in the near future, and plans to expand

its lineup to offer all available major HD programming by year-end.



    -- An industry-leading library of more than 10,000 video-on-demand

(VOD) titles each month, 70 percent of which are free. In addition, an

increasing number of on-demand titles in high-definition, with 1,000 HD VOD

title per month by the end of the year.



    -- An easy-to-use interactive media guide that integrates HD

programming, on-demand content and the digital video recorder along with

broadcast television into a seamless user experience.



    -- Set-top boxes ranging from a standard-definition box for $5.99 per

month to the Home Media DVR, featuring a multi-room DVR that enables up to

three simultaneous viewings of recorded programs without requiring

customers to set up a complex home network or buy extra equipment. The

recorder is bundled with Media Manager, a new feature that lets customers

easily access photos and music from their personal computer and play them

on their entertainment center where they look and sound the best. A

standard definition Home Media DVR is $17.99 per month.



    -- FiOS TV Widgets, a free interactive feature that provides local

weather and traffic information.



    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.



    Sports fans subscribing to FiOS TV Premier in the Hampton Roads market

will also receive a host of sports channels -- including Mid-Atlantic

Sports Network, several ESPN channels and the NFL Network -- at no extra

charge.



    Hampton consumers can check online at http://www.verizon.com/fios for more

information or to request that Verizon contact them when FiOS TV becomes

available. Customers also can call their local Verizon sales office or

888-GET FiOS (888-438-3467). FiOS TV also is available to eligible small

and medium-sized businesses at prices beginning at $49.99; rebates of up to

$409 also are available. Businesses can check online at

http://www.verizon.com/bizfiostv for more information.



    In addition to Virginia, Verizon currently provides FiOS TV in parts of

California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New

Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas.



    FiOS TV is delivered over Verizon's all-fiber-optic network, which

brings the power and capacity of fiber optics directly into people's homes

and 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. It also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 50

Mbps* (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps, as well as

high-quality voice services.



    * 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 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.





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