TV Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Haverstraw, N.Y.

HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. - Residents of this Rockland County village 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, delivered over the most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers’ homes.

The Board of Trustees for the village granted a video franchise to Verizon Monday night (Aug. 13), paving the way for video choice in the community. The board’s vote brings to 53 the total number of New York communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.

“This is great news for residents of Haverstraw, who now will have a new choice for their video entertainment,” said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. “Verizon’s FiOS TV offers consumers something they’ve never had before, with incredible pictures and sound clarity and innovative new services - all from a brand they know and trust.”

Haverstraw joins a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In addition to Haverstraw, Verizon has been granted video franchises in the Rockland County communities of Spring Valley, Chestnut Ridge, Airmont, Piermont, Orangetown, Clarkstown, Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, West Haverstraw and the Town of Haverstraw. Verizon also has video franchises in the Westchester County communities of Yonkers, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, North Castle, White Plains, Rye Brook, Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe and the Town of Greenburgh; and on Long Island in the villages of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, East Rockaway, Farmingdale, Valley Stream, Freeport, Williston Park, New Hyde Park, Sands Point, Bayville, Old Field, Floral Park and South Floral Park, and in the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Islip.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreement between Verizon and Haverstraw is subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

Verizon’s FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, 28 high-definition (HD) channels in the New York market and access to more than 8,600 on-demand titles, 60 percent of which are free.

Verizon’s fiber network 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. In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon’s fiber network also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.*