More Cable TV Choice for Consumers in 3 More Massachusetts Communities

LEOMINSTER, Mass. - Beginning Wednesday (Jan. 7), consumers and small businesses in Dover, Leominster and Norwell have more choice in cable TV providers now that Verizon has introduced FiOS TV, making a broad range of programming choices and superior picture quality available to thousands more Bay Staters.

Dover, Leominster and Norwell are among 90 Massachusetts communities (see list below) where the company's new television service is offered - the only TV service delivered over the nation's most advanced all-fiber network directly connecting to millions of individual homes and businesses. 

Verizon recently added more than 90 new channels, including 71 more high-definition (HD) channels, to its FiOS TV lineup in Massachusetts. As a result, FiOS TV now offers more than 500 total channels - including more than 100 HD channels, more than any local cable TV company, including Comcast.

Verizon is currently negotiating with several other communities in Massachusetts to obtain additional franchises.  For more information on the Verizon franchise process in the state, visit www.verizon.com/ma.

"FiOS TV gives consumers in Dover, Leominster and Norwell an outstanding, superior alternative for their video entertainment," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  "Customers in these communities who liked what FiOS did for their Internet connection will love what it does for their TV.  We've harnessed the vast capacity of our advanced fiber-optic network to deliver a revolutionary, new entertainment experience."

Massachusetts residents who are FiOS TV-eligible now have the option to trim their monthly bills by bundling FiOS TV service, FiOS Internet service and the Verizon Freedom Essentials unlimited calling plan, for as little as $99.99 a month.  They also can add a Verizon Wireless calling plan for a Grand Slam of communications and entertainment services.

New customers who subscribe to FiOS TV between now and Feb. 21 will receive their choice of free use for six months of either a high-definition (HD) digital video recorder (DVR) or an HD Home Media DVR. Customers who take advantage of this offer will save between $95 and $119 for the first six months, depending upon the DVR customers choose.

Dover, Leominster and Norwell consumers can check online at www.verizon.com/fios for more information or to request that Verizon contact them when FiOS services become available.  Customers also can call their local Verizon sales office or 888-GET FiOS (888-438-3467). 

Small and medium-sized businesses interested in business-grade FiOS services can visit www.verizon.com/bizfiostv to see online rebate offers of up to $409 depending on the services selected, or call 877-FiOS BIZ (877-346-7249) for more information.

FiOS TV Service Highlights

FiOS TV service highlights include:

• More than 500 all-digital channels grouped by genres such as entertainment, sports, news, shopping, movies and family, making it easy for audiences to find their favorite programming.

• A total of 105 HD channels available for Massachusetts customers, with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound.
• An industry-leading library of more than 14,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles each month, 70 percent of which are free. In addition, the VOD library includes 1,200 HD titles per month.
• An innovative interactive media guide (IMG) 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.  Among the features of the IMG are:
• Multi-Room DVR - Verizon's Home Media DVR allows customers to stream recorded HD and standard-definition (SD) programs to up to six other TV sets throughout the home.  This includes the ability to watch three separately recorded shows on three TV sets at the same time, plus pause recorded programming in one room and continue watching in another.

• Widgets - Customers have one-touch, on-demand access to local weather and traffic reports shown on TV screens.  Widgets provide local traffic and weather reports, daily local and national news headlines, daily national sports headlines, community news, and daily horoscopes.
• Free casual games - With the remote control and an HD set-top box, customers can access chess, solitaire, suduko and wordplay.
• "What's Hot on FiOS TV" - Features information on the most-popular programs currently being broadcast in the region and the most popular VOD titles.
• "Wait for Me" - Allows customers to pause live programming, change channels, and then return to the paused program and pick up where they left off.
• Channel sorting options - Customers can create two separate lists of favorite channels for family members.  Customers also can filter channels in the guide by genre, for instances where a customer only may want to see HD content, international channels or kids programming, among others.
• Fantasy Football - FiOS TV customers who are registered users of ESPN Fantasy Football will have instant on-screen access to personalized NFL statistics, including rosters, box scores, scoring leaders and player information.

Programming choices for Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Russian and other multicultural audiences are available in every market, making FiOS TV an outlet for emerging and independent networks to showcase their diverse programming.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite.  Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, the largest of its kind in the country, is currently under construction in more than half the states where the company offers landline communications services, including almost 100 Massachusetts communities.

Verizon's FiOS TV service was selected as the top-ranked residential television service provider in the Northeast region by J.D. Power for 2008.  FiOS TV is currently available to more than 8.2 million homes in 14 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. 

The network 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.

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 Fiber Solutions Centers in Providence, R.I., and other cities.

[In Massachusetts, FiOS TV is available in Abington, Acton, Andover, Arlington, Ashland, Bedford, Bellingham, Belmont, Boxborough, Boxford, Braintree, Burlington, Canton, Danvers, Dedham, Dover, Dunstable, Framingham, Franklin, Georgetown, Grafton, Hamilton, Hingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Ipswich, Lakeville, Lawrence, Leominster, Lincoln, Littleton, Lexington, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Mansfield, Marion, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Medfield, Medway, Melrose, Methuen, Middleborough, Middleton, Maynard, Millbury, Nahant, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, North Andover, North Reading, Northborough, Norwood, Norwell, Plymouth, Reading, Rochester, Rockland, Rowley, Sherborn, Southborough, Stoneham, Stoughton, Stow, Sudbury, Sutton, Swampscott, Taunton, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Wareham, Wayland, Wellesley, Wenham, West Newbury, Westborough, Weston, Westwood,  Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn.]

* 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 71 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 more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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