The New York Public Service Commission issued May 17 an order confirming Verizon's video franchises in the town of Hempstead on Long Island and in the Rockland County village of Upper Nyack. The town of Hempstead granted the company a franchise on April 4, 2006. The village of Upper Nyack granted a franchise to the company on March 16, 2006. The commission has the authority to review franchise agreements between local governments in New York and TV providers, such as
Verizon, to make sure the agreements comply with statewide rules and regulations. Earlier this year, Verizon began offering residents in the Long Island village of Massapequa Park, as well as the Rockland County communities of Nyack and South Nyack, FiOS TV - all-digital services with more than 350 channels, delivered over an all-fiber network. Verizon currently is bringing fiber connections directly to homes in more than half the states where it offers landline communications services, including more than 150 communities in New York.
The following statement should be attributed to Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York.
"The PSC's confirmation of the franchise agreements for the town of Hempstead and the village of Upper Nyack helps us to provide the choice and competition that New York consumers demand. This is an important victory for cable consumers who want a choice for their video services.
"We believe these communities - and all communities where we plan to deliver FiOS TV - benefit most from policies that recognize the world has changed and that technology offers consumers a real alternative to cable TV.
"We look forward to offering more New York consumers the benefits and innovation of FiOS TV."