Residents of Great Neck Estates, N.Y., and Surrounding Areas to See More TV Choice, Competition

GREAT NECK ESTATES, N.Y. - Residents of 12 villages on the North Shore of Long Island are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television service, thanks to a newly approved agreement authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service, delivered over the most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes.

Following nearly 30 months of negotiations, 12 of 15 villages in the Great Neck/North Shore Consortium voted Thursday (Dec. 20) to approve a video franchise for Verizon.  The villages include: Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Lake Success, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston.  These votes bring to 92 the total number of New York communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreement approved for Verizon by the 12 villages of the Great Neck/North Shore Consortium is subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission, and will take place after the remaining three consortium villages cast their votes.

"We look forward to serving residents of these 12 villages with Verizon's FiOS TV, which offers consumers something they've never had before, with incredible pictures and sound clarity and innovative new services - all from a brand they know and trust," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut.  "This franchise will give residents here the ability 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."

The 12 Great Neck/North Shore Consortium villages 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 communities, Verizon has been granted video franchises on Long Island in the villages of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, 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 and Oyster Bay Cove, and in the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Islip.  Verizon also has video franchises in the Orange County town of Newburgh; in the Westchester County communities of 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, Pelham Manor, Sleepy Hollow, Briarcliff Manor and the town of Ossining; and in the Rockland County communities of Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, Clarkstown, Orangetown, Piermont, Airmont, the town of Haverstraw, West Haverstraw, Chestnut Ridge, Spring Valley, the village of Haverstraw, Suffern and Hillburn.

Verizon's FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, 31 high-definition (HD) channels in the New York market and access to more than 10,000 on-demand titles, 60 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.*

* 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 63.7 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 has a diverse workforce of nearly 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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