TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of West Seneca, Tonawanda and Baxter...

TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of West Seneca, Tonawanda and
Baxter Estates, N.Y.
Communities Approve Video Franchises for Verizon

NEW YORK, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of the Erie County towns of
West Seneca and Tonawanda, and the Nassau County Village of Baxter Estates 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.
The governing boards of the three communities granted video franchises to
Verizon Monday night (May 19), paving the way for video choice in their
respective communities. These votes bring to 113 the total number of New York
communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.
"This is great news for residents of the West Seneca, Tonawanda and Baxter
Estates, who now will have a new choice for their video entertainment," said
Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut.
"Consumers in these communities will be able to choose their cable provider as
easily as they choose their phone company. Competition like this drives
innovation and value, and puts the consumer in control."
As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements between
Verizon and the three communities are subject to review by the New York State
Public Service Commission.
Verizon's FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite,
offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, 30 high-definition
(HD) channels in the New York market and access to more than 10,000 on-demand
titles, 70 percent of which are free.
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 20 Mbps, as well
as high-quality voice service.*
The towns of West Seneca and Tonawanda and the Village of Baxter Estates
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 three
communities, Verizon has been granted video franchises in the following towns
and villages:
Rockland County
Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, Clarkstown,
Orangetown, Piermont, Airmont, the town of Haverstraw, West Haverstraw,
Chestnut Ridge, Ramapo, Spring Valley, Stony Point, the village of Haverstraw,
Suffern, Hillburn and Wesley Hills.
Dutchess County
Town of Wappinger
Wappingers Falls

Orange County
Town of Newburgh

Erie County
Hamburg
Village of Orchard Park
Town of Orchard Park

Westchester County
Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Irvington, the Town of Greenburgh,
Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe, White Plains, Rye
Brook, North Castle, Mount Vernon, Mount Pleasant, Yonkers, Scarsdale,
Bronxville, New Rochelle, Cortlandt, Peekskill, Buchanan, Rye, Larchmont, the
village of Mamaroneck, the town of Mamaroneck, New Castle, Pelham Manor,
Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor, the town of Ossining and the village of
Ossining.
Long Island
Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, East Hills,
East Rockaway, Farmingdale, Valley Stream, Freeport, Williston Park, New Hyde
Park, Sands Point, Bayville, Old Field, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Garden
City, Nissequogue, Poquott, East Williston, Head of the Harbor, Mill Neck,
Stewart Manor, Centre Island, Malverne, Huntington Bay, The Branch, Oyster Bay
Cove, Flower Hill, Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza,
Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome,
Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Russell
Gardens, Saddle Rock, Thomaston, Bellerose and Lloyd Harbor; and the towns of
North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Islip.
* 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
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
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.
SOURCE Verizon

John Bonomo of Verizon, +1-212-321-8033, or john.j.bonomo@verizon.com