Verizon FiOS TV Availability Tops 100,000-Household Mark in Mass.

Verizon FiOS TV Availability Tops 100,000-Household Mark in Mass.

Consumers in Acton, Andover, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Nahant Join Growing List of Communities Where Viewers Can Experience Better Television

ANDOVER, Mass., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon today topped the 100,000 mark for the number of Massachusetts households that can order FiOS TV, as the company added Acton, Andover, Hopkinton, Lincoln and Nahant to its growing list of Bay State communities where the revolutionary new service is available.

FiOS TV went on sale today to consumers in those five communities, making a broad range of programming choices and superior picture quality available to 20,000 additional households. This brings the total number of Massachusetts households where FiOS TV is available to approximately 104,000.

Acton, Andover, Hopkinton, Lincoln and Nahant are among 20 Massachusetts communities where the company's new fiber-optic television service is being offered -- delivered over the only all-digital, fiber network that is being made available, on a mass scale, to millions of individual homes and businesses. FiOS TV is also available in Belmont, Boxborough, Boxford, Burlington, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynnfield, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Wakefield, Wenham, Winchester and Woburn.

The company is currently negotiating with some 30 other communities in Massachusetts to obtain additional franchises. For more information on the Verizon franchise process in the state, visit http://www.verizon.com/ma.

Verizon launched FiOS TV in Keller, Texas, in September 2005 and began taking orders in Woburn in February. The company also has begun offering the service elsewhere in Texas, as well as in parts of New York, California, Florida, Maryland and Virginia.

"Reaching 100,000 households is a significant milestone for us," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. "We are committed to bringing cable-TV choice to as many people as we can as quickly as we can. Survey after survey tells us that consumers want an alternative to the monopoly cable giants, and we are offering that alternative to more and more consumers."

"FiOS TV gives consumers an outstanding, superior alternative for their video entertainment," Cupelo added. "Customers who liked what FiOS did for their Internet connection will love what it does for their TV. We've harnessed the speed and capacity of fiber-based broadband with the power of broadcast to create 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 Value unlimited calling plan, all for $104.85.

Service highlights include:

* A broad collection of all-digital programming and compelling consumer
choice.

* A lead offer with nearly 200 all-digital video and music channels, for
$34.95 a month with Verizon FiOS Internet Service or a qualifying voice
plan, or $39.95 a month as a stand-alone service.

* More than 20 high-definition channels, with extraordinary clarity and
theater-quality sound.

* More than 3,000 on-demand titles available to customers now, increasing
to over 3,500 titles in the next several months. Many of them are free.

* Channels grouped by genres such as entertainment, sports, news,
shopping, movies and family, making it easy for audiences to find their
favorite programming.

* An easy-to-use interactive programming guide that integrates HD
programming, On Demand content and the digital video recorder along with
broadcast television into a seamless user experience.

* A dual-tuner, HD-capable digital video recorder that gives customers
the freedom to pause and rewind live TV, record one show while watching
another, and fast forward to their favorite part of the program -- all
without a VCR, tapes or DVDs.

* The option of Home Media DVR, featuring a multi-room DVR that enables up
to three simultaneous viewings of programs recorded by the device
without requiring customers to set up a complex home network or buy
extra equipment. The recorder is bundled with Media Manager, a new
feature that lets customers easily access photos and music from their
personal computer and play them on their entertainment center where they
look and sound the best.

* FiOS TV Widgets, a free interactive feature that provides local weather
and traffic information.

Information on packages and prices is available at http://www.verizon.net/fiostv. Customers in communities where FiOS TV is available also can call 1-800-880-2943 to see if they qualify to order FiOS TV.

Verizon research indicates 87 percent of Massachusetts residents favor more competition and choice for video services. Independent studies have shown that competition in the video market brings enormous benefits to consumers in the form of reduced prices, better packages and improved service.

Delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. The Verizon 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 more than 50 Massachusetts communities. 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 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps as well as high- quality voice services.

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

(More information about FiOS TV and fiber optics is available in Verizon's online News Center at http://www.verizon.com/news.)

Service and Package Details

FiOS TV subscribers can choose from three simple-to-understand service offerings, each with built-in choice and value. They can then choose from packages and premium channels with programming that meets their special interests. Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $3.95 per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.95 per month; and a dual-tuner, HD-capable digital video recorder for $12.95 per month.

The services include:

* FiOS TV Local, with access to more than 20 local broadcast weather and
community channels for $12.95 per month. The service is digital with a
set-top box, which also provides access to On Demand programming. FiOS
TV Local is also available as an analog service that does not require a
set-top box for viewing.
* FiOS TV Premier, Verizon's lead offer, delivers more than 180 video and
music channels for $34.95 a month with Verizon FiOS Internet Service or
a qualifying voice plan. This tier includes access to on-demand content
and requires a set-top box. High-definition channels are included in
this tier at no extra charge, and customers must have an HD set-top box
and an HD-ready TV to view them.

* La Conexion, an alternative to Expanded Basic service designed for
bilingual consumers who enjoy TV programs in English and Spanish, for
$27.95 per month with Verizon FiOS Internet Service or a qualifying
voice plan. La Conexion is also available as a stand-alone service for
$32.95 per month. The package includes nearly 140 channels with English
and Spanish-language programming and access to on-demand programming.
This service requires a set-top box. HD channels are included in this
tier at no extra charge, and customers must have an HD set-top box and
an HD-ready TV to view them.

Verizon FiOS TV customers who sign up for 12 months of FiOS TV Premier or La Conexion will receive additional discounts through a newly instituted annual savings agreement. FiOS TV customers will have the choice of receiving $5 off the monthly movie package price for an annual savings of $60. Or, customers can waive the monthly standard set-top box fee of $3.95 -- an annual savings of $47.40.

Consumers with a passion for movies or sports can add the movie package with 44 channels of Starz, Encore, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Sundance and Flix, as well as 255 titles of On Demand programming for a regular price of $11.95 a month. Sports enthusiasts can add a 15-channel sports package for $5.95 a month. Or, both packages can be purchased for $14.95 a month. In addition to the movie package, customers with a set-top box can order new On Demand movie releases for $3.95 each or choose from a selection of movie library titles for $2.95 each.

For wrestling fans, Verizon offers World Wrestling Entertainment's WWE 24/7, a subscription On Demand service, for $7.95 a month. Karaoke fans can sing along at home with a subscription to the Karaoke package for $7.95 a month.

Verizon also offers 14 HBO channels and 12 Cinemax channels as premium services, with each set of channels available for $14.95. The price includes access to each channel's subscription On Demand library. Subscribers who want both HBO and Cinemax will pay $24.95 per month.

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 24x7 technical assistance by phone from its Fiber Solutions Centers in Providence, R.I., and other cities.

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 http://www.verizon.com/.

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Phil Santoro of Verizon, +1-617-743-4760,
philip.g.santoro@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.verizon.com/ma
http://www.verizon.net/fiostv
http://www.verizon.com/news

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html

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