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

Village Approves Video Franchise for Verizon

CHESTNUT RIDGE, 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 Chestnut Ridge granted a video franchise to Verizon Thursday (May 17), paving the way for video choice in the community. The board’s vote brings to 40 the total number of New York communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring FiOS TV to residents in Chestnut Ridge,” said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. “As a result of this franchise, consumers in this Rockland County community will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company. Competition like this drives innovation and value, and puts the consumer in control.”

Chestnut Ridge joins a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In addition to Chestnut Ridge, Verizon has been granted video franchises in the Rockland County communities of 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 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 and New Hyde Park, and in the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreement between Verizon and Chestnut Ridge 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, more than 20 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.*

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.