Verizon Extends Availability of FiOS Internet, TV and Voice Services to Florida Households Around Bell Shoals Road

TAMPA, Fla. - Nearly 3,500 households in neighborhoods surrounding Bell Shoals Road can now order the fastest Internet access available and sparklingly clear TV pictures as Verizon today announced the first availability of its FiOS fiber-powered Internet, TV and voice offerings in the area.  The triple-play bundles are delivered over Verizon's all-fiber network, directly to people's homes and businesses.

As Verizon completes the necessary construction and engineering activities, it expects to extend FiOS service by year-end to 1,000 more households for a total of 4,500 households in proximity of Bell Shoals Road, including Bloomingdale and Lithia. 

FiOS has been available to other areas in east Hillsborough County, including most of Brandon, Riverview, Alafia and areas surrounding these landmarks.  This latest announcement broadens the reach in southeast Hillsborough and brings the total number of households with FiOS availability there to more than 100,000, making it one of the most densely-covered FiOS markets in the Tampa area.

"Today we are even closer to providing FiOS service to most of the highly populated areas of southeast Hillsborough County," said Suri Surinder, Verizon's senior vice president and general manager for the Southeast region.  "Residents in neighborhoods around Bell Shoals Road will now have an exciting option for their home telecommunications needs: They can order FiOS, the most advanced and revolutionary all-fiber service available anywhere."

To date, Verizon has deployed more than 19 million feet of fiber in Hillsborough County and more than 54 million feet of fiber in the company's Florida service territory.   More than 620,000 households in Pasco, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk and Pinellas counties can now order one or more of the FiOS services.

FiOS Internet was recently named to the top five of PC World Magazine's 100 Best Products of 2007 - a roster of what the magazine called "the finest products and services of the past 12 months" - selected "based on exemplary design, features, performance and innovation."  Readers of PC World and Computerworld magazines have recently ranked FiOS Internet  No. 1, with top scores across the board in overall satisfaction, connection reliability, download and upload speeds, customer service and technical support.  Additionally, Verizon is the only major telecom company whose network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

Consumers can check online at www.verizon.com/fiostv to see if FiOS TV is already available in their area, or to request that Verizon contact them when FiOS TV is available.  To order FiOS TV, consumers can call their local Verizon sales office or 1-877-4-FIOS-TV (1-877-434-6788). 

Service Highlights

Verizon's FiOS TV Premier package delivers more than 200 all-digital channels for $42.99 per month.  All Tampa Bay-area customers have access to 31 high-definition (HD) channels and more than 10,000 on-demand titles, 60 percent of which are free.  Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $4.99 per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.99 per month; and a dual-tuner, HD-capable digital video recorder for $12.99 per month.

Verizon also offers innovative features not available from other providers, such as Home Media DVR (digital video recorder) and FiOS TV Widgets.  Home Media DVR, at $19.99 per month, has a multi-room DVR feature enabling up to three simultaneous viewings of recorded programs without requiring customers to set up a complex home network or buy extra equipment.  Customers also can access photos and music on their PCs and play them on their TV.    Verizon's new, free interactive media guide pulls together content from a variety of sources -- broadcast TV, Verizon's more than 10,000 title video-on-demand library and the subscriber's own DVR recordings -- into one media management system. 

Customers who have FiOS TV's Media Manager, part of its Home Media DVR service, can also search, organize and enjoy their digital photos and music with a few clicks of the remote control.  FiOS TV Widgets is a free interactive feature that provides viewers with local weather and traffic information while they're watching their favorite shows.

Currently, Verizon is also offering triple- and double-play bundles built around its FiOS service.  The lineup for Verizon FiOS bundles in Florida is:

Triple play

• 10/2 Mbps (megabits per second) FiOS Internet service, FiOS TV Premier, Freedom Essentials voice and one standard set-top box - $99.99 per month.

Double plays

• 10/2 Mbps FiOS Internet service and Freedom Essentials voice - $64.99 per month.
• FiOS TV Premier plus one set-top box and Freedom Essentials voice - $69.99 per month.

(All prices are for two-year contracts.) 

"Our all-fiber-optic network delivers a superior customer experience today, and has an abundance of bandwidth for the exciting services we'll offer in the future," said Surinder.  "We also believe our bundled services offer both a great price and great value right now." 

Verizon, providing FiOS services on the nation's most advanced digital all-fiber-optic network, now offers FiOS TV in each of the six counties it serves in west central Florida.  Recently, the company announced that it will feature 150 high-definition channels on its FiOS system by the end of 2008.  Additionally, the company announced its first symmetrical FiOS Internet service now available in Florida, featuring upstream and downstream connection speeds of up to 20 megabits per second (Mbps). 

In addition to Florida, Verizon currently offers FiOS TV in parts of California, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia. 

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  and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps as well as high-quality voice service.*

The value of FiOS TV extends to the installation and customer support.  Specially trained Verizon technicians will install the service and acquaint subscribers with FiOS TV features and services.  Verizon is waiving the installation fee for up to three existing TV outlets, and there is no charge to install a needed optical network terminal at the subscriber's home.  Charges for other installation services, such as additional outlets, may apply.  Verizon provides 24 x 7 technical assistance by phone from its specialized Fiber Solutions Centers.

* 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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