LAPLATA, Md. - Residents in the town are a major step closer to having an innovative, reliable and competitive alternative for their television services, thanks to a unanimous vote by the LaPlata Town Council on Tuesday (Nov. 25) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.
FiOS TV is delivered over Verizon's all-fiber-optic network, which brings the power and capacity of fiber optics directly into people's homes and has industry-leading quality and reliability. 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* (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice services.
In Maryland, Verizon currently offers FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services to dozens of communities in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The company plans to begin offering FiOS Internet and FiOS TV to approximately 2,000 households in parts of LaPlata in mid-December.
"Approval of Verizon's video franchise is great news for LaPlata residents, who soon will have more choice for their video entertainment," said William R. Roberts, Verizon's regional president in Maryland and Washington, D.C. "We commend Mayor Roy Hale, the town council and their staff for their dedication and hard work throughout this process.
"Clearly, they recognize and support the technological advantage and competitive benefits - as well as the distinctive edge in economic development and quality of life - that fiber will bring to their community," Roberts added. "We look forward to reaching a similar agreement with Charles County."
Verizon currently provides FiOS TV in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington state.
FiOS TV Service Highlights
FiOS TV service highlights include:
- More than 500 all-digital channels grouped by genres such as entertainment, sports, news, marketplace, movies and family, making it easy for audiences to find their favorite programming.
- Approximately 105 high-definition channels in Maryland, with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound.
- An industry-leading library of more than 11,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles each month, 8,500 of which are free of charge. The VOD library also includes 1,000 HD VOD titles per month.
- An innovative Interactive Media Guide that helps customers quickly and easily find and enjoy content from TV listings, VOD catalogs and the digital video recorder (DVR), as well as personal music and photos from a home network.
Consumers in LaPlata can check online at www.verizon.com/fios for more information or to request that Verizon contact them when FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services become available. Customers also can call their local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.
* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.
