TV Choice and Competition Arrive for Consumers in Three More California Communities

TV Choice and Competition Arrive for Consumers in Three More California Communities

Verizon's FiOS TV and Broadband Products Are Now Available to Residents in Covina, West Covina and Sepulveda

New FiOS TV Customers Eligible for a Free HD DVR for 12 Months and Free Month of HBO and Cinemax

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers in four more California communities have another and better option for TV providers now that Verizon has again expanded its FiOS TV service, making a broad range of programming choices and superior picture quality available to thousands of additional households.

Verizon's FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services are available to consumers in parts of Covina, West Covina and the Los Angeles city suburb of Sepulveda. The latest expansion brings to 63 the number of California communities where FiOS TV and Internet services are available, delivered over the nation's most advanced all-fiber network straight to customers' homes and businesses.

"FiOS TV gives consumers in these California communities an outstanding and superior alternative for their video entertainment," said Shawne Angelle, vice president of sales and local marketing for Verizon's West Coast region. "Customers 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."

Verizon announced that consumers who sign up for FiOS TV between now and Oct. 4 are eligible for a year's free use of either an HD DVR (digital video recorder) or an HD Home Media DVR. With Verizon's unique Home Media DVR, customers can use one DVR to record programming that can be watched on up to six other TV sets in the home. This includes viewing up to three separately recorded programs simultaneously on different TV sets, and the ability to pause recorded programming on one set and continue watching it on another. FiOS TV's Home Media DVR is bundled with Media Manager, a feature that allows customers to access photos and music from their personal computers and play them on their TV.

Verizon is also offering new FiOS TV customers, or existing customers who upgrade to a bundled package, one free month of HBO and Cinemax, which includes more than 25 premium channels and access to hundreds of additional video-on-demand (VOD) titles. New customers who take advantage of this offer will save between $200 and $260.

FiOS TV Service Highlights
FiOS TV service highlights include:

-- More than 400 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.

-- Access in California to 30 or more high-definition channels, with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound. Verizon plans to significantly increase soon the number of HD channels it offers to California customers, and by the end of 2008 will feature all major available HD channels.

-- An industry-leading library of more than 11,000 VOD titles each month, 70 percent of which are free. The VOD library also includes an increasing number of HD titles, and Verizon plans to have 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by year-end.

-- An easy-to-use interactive media guide that integrates HD programming, VOD content and the optional DVR along with broadcast television into a seamless user experience.

-- Set-top boxes ranging from a standard-definition box for $5.99 per month to the Home Media DVR for $19.99 per month.

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.

Verizon recently announced that FiOS TV customers will get even greater programming as Verizon adds new channels to the lineup, including HD, sports and multicultural content.

Information on packages and prices is available at www.verizon.com/fiostv. California customers also can call 1-888-GET-FIOS to see if they qualify to order FiOS TV.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network has industry-leading quality and reliability and is the largest of its kind in the country. It directly connects millions of homes and businesses and is currently under construction in more than half the states where the company offers landline communications services.

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 Oxnard and other cities around the nation.

* 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 69 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 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Jon Davies of Verizon, +1-805-372-6969,
jon.davies@verizon.com

Web Site: http://www.verizon.com/fiostv
http://www.verizon.com/news

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

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