With its recent approval by the city of White Plains to provide fiber-optic cable television service, called FiOS, Verizon is hoping to continue to expand the service in the county and throughout the state.
The White Plains Common Council approved a 15-year contract with Verizon on April 16. The deal still has to be approved by the state Public Service Commission.
Verizon would be available to the city”™s 22,000 households. The fiber-optic network needed for the service is about 90 percent complete in White Plains, said Verizon spokeswoman Heather B. Wilner.
“We”™re planning to launch the service where the network is available and construct the rest of the network,” she said.
Information regarding which part of the city does not currently have access to the fiber-optic network was not immediately available, Wilner said.
Once the contract is approved, Verizon has five years to build the entire network in the city, according to state regulations.
Wilner said Verizon should be able to meet that benchmark.
Currently, Cablevision is the only cable-television provider in White Plains, with about 20,000 subscribers.
A spokesman for Cablevision said the company, whose president, James Dolan, also owns the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, is not worried about increased competition from Verizon.
“Cablevision competes successfully because our Internet is faster, our phone service delivers much more value and our television product is far superior to satellite or telephone company TV; without charging hidden fees or requiring long-term contracts ”“and consumers know the difference,” said Patrick MacElroy, director of media relations for Cablevision.
Wilner said Verizon could be looking to expand its footprint even more in the county, but declined to discuss specifics.
“We don”™t publicly talk about where we”™re going next, but we”™re working on launching the service throughout the sate,” she said.
Â
Verizon FiOS service is available in the Westchester communities of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Irvington, Hartsdale, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, and Tuckahoe.
Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order designed to enhance cable competition.
The FCC adopted guidelines that prohibit franchising authorities, such as the Public Service Commission, from unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises for the provision of cable services.
Verizon first launched its FiOS service in 2005 on Long Island.
Â
