TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Wrentham, Mass.

TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Wrentham, Mass.

Town Approves Video License for Verizon; Residents Soon Can Get FiOS TV

WRENTHAM, Mass., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of Wrentham are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television services, thanks to a newly approved agreement authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service via the most advanced all-digital, fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes.

The Wrentham Board of Selectmen on Tuesday (June 2) granted a cable franchise to Verizon, authorizing video choice for thousands of households here.

The board's authorization brings to 96 the total number of Massachusetts communities where Verizon's FiOS TV is or will soon be available.

"We are thrilled to now be able to bring a superior home-entertainment experience to residents in Wrentham, with FiOS TV," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for New England. "Consumers can benefit from an advanced service that delivers 100 percent digital quality on every channel, superior picture-and-sound quality, more and more high-definition programming (HD), and innovative, interactive features that cable and satellite can't match."

FiOS TV scored highest in J.D. Power's "2008 Residential Television Service Satisfaction Study for the East Region." And a leading consumer magazine gave FiOS TV the top rating in its most recent survey of television service, with top marks in all six categories it measured: channel choice, image quality, sound quality, reliability, value and support.

"As a result of this new franchise, consumers in Wrentham will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company," said Cupelo. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and it puts the consumer in control."

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

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.

Verizon's license agreement with the city of Wrentham is for 12 years. The agreement contains provisions for the network's future growth; financial support and capacity for educational and government access channels; cable service to government buildings; and other important benefits to the city, including insurance, indemnification and enforcement protections.

"Verizon will compete aggressively for subscribers in Wrentham with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network," Cupelo said. Verizon soon will begin its door-to-door sales campaign in Wrentham, explaining the many advantages of FiOS TV to local consumers.

Verizon has the only national network that delivers 100 percent fiber optics straight to customers' homes. This means that, with a FiOS bundle, customers can affordably enjoy the ultimate broadband and home-entertainment experience, including:

-- Superior HD: FiOS TV offers more than 100 HD channels, plus 1,400 of
its more than 15,000 Video on Demand titles each month are in HD.
FiOS TV offers the purest HD signal available for amazing picture
quality, plus razor-sharp 100 percent digital quality on all its more
than 500 channels.
-- Advanced DVR technology with the option of Verizon's Home Media DVR,
featuring:
-- Media Manager, which lets customers wirelessly bring personal
photos, music and slideshows to life from their computers to their
TVs.
-- Multi-Room DVR, which eliminates the need for multiple DVRs in the
home. With the Multi-Room DVR, customers can use one DVR to
record programming that can then be watched on up to six other TV
sets with a FiOS set-top box in the home. This includes
simultaneously viewing up to three separately recorded programs on
different TV sets, and the ability to pause recorded programming
on one set and continue watching it on another.
-- Unique interactive TV features that cable can't match. FiOS TV's
innovative interactive media guide (IMG) gives customers a rich,
personalized television experience. Among the features of the IMG
are:
-- Widgets - One-touch, on-demand access to personalized information,
such as local traffic and weather reports, daily local and
national news headlines, fantasy sports, daily national sports
headlines, daily horoscopes, and see What's Hot on FiOS TV all
while still enjoying your TV programming.
-- Remote DVR management - All FiOS subscribers can remotely control
their Verizon DVRs online, and Media Manager subscribers can use
this service via any cell phone with a data plan. Subscribers can
use the service to remotely review, change or add recording
requests; delete recorded programs; browse and search TV and
video-on-demand listings; set parental controls; and more.
-- Award-winning FiOS Internet service with the option of connection
speeds of up to 20 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and up to 5
Mbps upstream. With this kind of speed, subscribers can upload 200
photos totaling 250 MB (megabytes) in about seven minutes, or download
a two-hour, 1.2 GB (gigabyte) DVD in about eight minutes. And, unlike
some cable providers, Verizon doesn't penalize subscribers for using
all the speed they need. The service also features online access to
on-demand movies from Starz Play, Disney Connection programs and
features, ESPN360.com live sporting events and programs, and NFL
Network programming.

-- Premium installation by a specially-trained Verizon technician who
sets up the FiOS equipment, establishes the whole in-home network,
makes sure everything is properly connected, and takes the new TV and
Internet customers for a test drive of their new fiber-based services.

[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, Hanover, Hingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Ipswich, Lakeville, Lawrence, Leominster, Lincoln, Littleton, Lexington, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Mansfield, Marblehead, Marion, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Melrose, Mendon, Methuen, Middleborough, Middleton, Millbury, Nahant, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, North Andover, North Reading, Northborough, Norwell, Norwood, 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 and Verizon has FiOS TV franchises in Chelmsford and North Attleborough. FiOS TV also is available in parts of New York, New Jersey, California, Delaware, Texas, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.]

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 86 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 237,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 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.

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Rick Colon, +1-781-849-2046, richard.b.colon@verizon.com, or
Phil Santoro, +1-617-743-4760, philip.g.santoro@verizon.com, both of Verizon

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

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

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