Post by adam on Oct 19, 2010 10:20:17 GMT -5
Scotia first to sign with Verizon for TV service
FiOS service set to start in spring
Monday, October 18, 2010
By Michael Goot
Gazette Reporter
SCOTIA — Scotia is the first municipality in the Capital Region to approve a franchise agreement with Verizon to bring television service to the village.
The Board of Trustees last week approved a pact for the company to begin offering its FiOS television service through its fiber-optic network.
Company spokesman John Bonomo said the service should start in the first quarter of 2011, probably around March.
Unlike cable companies that transmit information over coaxial cable, fiber-optic lines transmit data in pulses of light.
Bonomo said this will this will allow Verizon to provide greater transmission speeds for Internet and offer a clearer television picture and more high-definition channels.
“Nowadays, more and more people watch their TV in HD,” he said.
FiOS TV offers more than 520 all-digital channels including 138 HD channels in New York, according to a press release from the company. Verizon will also have video-on-demand (VOD) service, with 18,000 monthly titles, including 3,300 in HD.
Bonomo declined to say where else the company planned to roll out the service, only that they were negotiating with other municipalities to create a presence in the suburban Albany area.
With Scotia coming on board, it now has TV franchises in 178 communities, most of them located downstate in the Long Island and Westchester County office, as well as in suburban Buffalo and Syracuse.
Before the service can be launched, Verizon must obtain approval from the New York State Public Service Commission.
They also build the infrastructure.
“We’re in the process of building a connection from our video hub office, which is located in Buffalo,” he said.
The company has already had FiOS Internet service in the area since around 2004 and had roughly 15 million subscribers by the end of 2009.
As for why Scotia was among the communities selected, Bonomo said the company looks at locations where they already have FiOS Internet service deployed and the overall marketplace.
Earlier this spring, the company said it had no immediate plans to offer television service in the Capital Region. However, Bonomo said the company had explored the amount of fiber-optic cable it had in the area and the success it had in marketing its Internet service and decided to seek out TV franchises.
Scotia Mayor Kris Kastberg said he believed most of the necessary infrastructure improvements have been completed.
Kastberg hoped that the long-term effect might be some more competitive rates.
Time Warner spokesman Michael Bucci said the company has withstood competition in the past and believes it offers superior service and technical support as well as coverage of local news and sports.
For example, it staffs its technical call center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and free service calls.
Regarding programming, Time Warner also offers “Start Over” that allows people to rewind shows back 15 to 20 minutes so they don’t miss the beginning and a new “Look Back” feature that allows people to go back and see a show they missed within the last 72 hours.
FiOS service set to start in spring
Monday, October 18, 2010
By Michael Goot
Gazette Reporter
SCOTIA — Scotia is the first municipality in the Capital Region to approve a franchise agreement with Verizon to bring television service to the village.
The Board of Trustees last week approved a pact for the company to begin offering its FiOS television service through its fiber-optic network.
Company spokesman John Bonomo said the service should start in the first quarter of 2011, probably around March.
Unlike cable companies that transmit information over coaxial cable, fiber-optic lines transmit data in pulses of light.
Bonomo said this will this will allow Verizon to provide greater transmission speeds for Internet and offer a clearer television picture and more high-definition channels.
“Nowadays, more and more people watch their TV in HD,” he said.
FiOS TV offers more than 520 all-digital channels including 138 HD channels in New York, according to a press release from the company. Verizon will also have video-on-demand (VOD) service, with 18,000 monthly titles, including 3,300 in HD.
Bonomo declined to say where else the company planned to roll out the service, only that they were negotiating with other municipalities to create a presence in the suburban Albany area.
With Scotia coming on board, it now has TV franchises in 178 communities, most of them located downstate in the Long Island and Westchester County office, as well as in suburban Buffalo and Syracuse.
Before the service can be launched, Verizon must obtain approval from the New York State Public Service Commission.
They also build the infrastructure.
“We’re in the process of building a connection from our video hub office, which is located in Buffalo,” he said.
The company has already had FiOS Internet service in the area since around 2004 and had roughly 15 million subscribers by the end of 2009.
As for why Scotia was among the communities selected, Bonomo said the company looks at locations where they already have FiOS Internet service deployed and the overall marketplace.
Earlier this spring, the company said it had no immediate plans to offer television service in the Capital Region. However, Bonomo said the company had explored the amount of fiber-optic cable it had in the area and the success it had in marketing its Internet service and decided to seek out TV franchises.
Scotia Mayor Kris Kastberg said he believed most of the necessary infrastructure improvements have been completed.
Kastberg hoped that the long-term effect might be some more competitive rates.
Time Warner spokesman Michael Bucci said the company has withstood competition in the past and believes it offers superior service and technical support as well as coverage of local news and sports.
For example, it staffs its technical call center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and free service calls.
Regarding programming, Time Warner also offers “Start Over” that allows people to rewind shows back 15 to 20 minutes so they don’t miss the beginning and a new “Look Back” feature that allows people to go back and see a show they missed within the last 72 hours.
