Village of Hamburg Is First in Western New York to Award Video Franchise to Verizon

HAMBURG, N.Y. - It's official!  Residents of the Village of Hamburg 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.

Hamburg granted a video franchise to Verizon Monday night (April 7), becoming the first municipality in western New York to do so and paving the way for video choice in the community.  This vote by the Hamburg Board of Trustees - and a similar positive franchise vote in the Village of Roslyn Estates Monday night - bring to 104 the total number of New York communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon. 

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements between Verizon and Hamburg are subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

FiOS TV is expected to be rolled out in the community during the summer, after review by the PSC and after the company completes the construction and wiring of a video hub office to serve the region.

"This is an exciting time for our village and our residents," said Hamburg Mayor Thomas J. Moses Sr.  "The video franchise we've awarded is yet another indication of how Hamburg leads the way in many respects in the western New York region.  This consumer-friendly initiative gives our residents a choice and competition for their TV services, for the first time."

Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut, said, "This is great news for residents of Hamburg, who soon will have a new choice for their video entertainment.  Consumers here 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."

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.*

Hamburg joins a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market.  In addition to this most recent community, Verizon has been granted video franchises on Long Island in the villages of 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, Russell Gardens, Roslyn Harbor, Saddle Rock, Thomaston, Bellerose and Lloyd Harbor; 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 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; in the Dutchess County town of Wappinger; and 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, the town of Ossining and the village of Ossining.

* 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 nearly 66 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 employs a diverse workforce of nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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