Verizon's FiOS TV Approved in Riverside County and Chino Hills, Calif.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - More than 63,000 Southern California households are a major step closer to having a new choice for their cable television services after two separate votes Tuesday (Nov. 14) in favor of granting local video franchises to Verizon.

Riverside County (more than 41,000 households in unincorporated areas) and Chino Hills (22,000 households) are the 16th and 17th communities in California to grant Verizon a franchise. Verizon already has franchises in Apple Valley, Banning, Beaumont, Camarillo, Hermosa Beach, Lake Elsinore, Los Alamitos, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Murrieta, Ontario, Perris, Redlands, Temecula and Thousand Oaks.

Riverside County and Chino Hills join this growing list of Southern California communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law that will greatly accelerate the video franchising process by moving it to the state level starting in 2007.

"This is great news for the residents of Riverside County and Chino Hills, who will soon have greater choice for their video entertainment," said Tim McCallion, Verizon West region president. "Choice and competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will continue to compete for consumers' communications, broadband and video business with our fiber-based FiOS TV and Internet services."

Verizon, which launched FiOS TV in September 2005 in Keller, Texas, offers the service in parts of Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Virginia as well as California. The company has video franchises covering approximately 3.7 million households in nine states and more than 200 franchise areas. As the fiber network is fully deployed in franchise areas, Verizon will provide consumers with the opportunity to choose FiOS TV.

Verizon's FiOS TV service is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, more than 20 high-definition channels, video on demand and more.  It is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability.  Verizon is the first company to offer such a communications network, connecting homes and businesses directly to fiber optics on a widespread scale.  Only Verizon's FTTP network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes and businesses.

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 allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet service at download speeds of up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps.*  FiOS Internet Service is currently available in many Southern California communities.

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a Dow 30 company, 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 nearly 57 million customers nationwide.  Verizon Business operates one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks.  Verizon Telecom is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers.  Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 250,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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