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

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - Residents of this Westchester County community 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 Mount Vernon City Council granted a video franchise to Verizon Wednesday night (June 13), paving the way for video choice in the community. The board’s vote brings to 45 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 Mount Vernon" said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "As a result of this franchise, consumers here 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"

Mount Vernon joins a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. In addition to Mount Vernon, Verizon has been granted video franchises in the Westchester County communities of Mount Pleasant, North Castle, White Plains, Rye Brook, Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe and the Town of Greenburgh. Verizon also has video franchises in the Rockland County communities of Chestnut Ridge, Airmont, Piermont, Orangetown, Clarkstown, Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, West Haverstraw and the Town of Haverstraw; 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 and Old Field, 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 Mount Vernon 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.*

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving 60.7 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.