More Cable TV Choice for Rochester, Walpole, Mass., Consumers

ROCHESTER and WALPOLE, Mass., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, consumers in Rochester and Walpole have more choice in cable TV providers now that Verizon has introduced FiOS TV, making a broad range of programming choices and superior picture quality available to some 8,500 more Massachusetts households.

Rochester and Walpole are among 70 Massachusetts communities [see list below] where the company's new television service is being offered -- the only TV service delivered over the nation's most advanced all-fiber network directly connecting to millions of individual homes and businesses.

Verizon is currently negotiating with several other communities in Massachusetts to obtain additional franchises. For more information on the Verizon franchise process in the state, visit www.verizon.com/ma.

Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, said, "FiOS TV gives consumers in Rochester and Walpole an outstanding, superior alternative for their video entertainment. Customers in Rochester and Walpole who liked what FiOS did for their Internet connection will love what it does for their TV. We've harnessed the vast capacity of our advanced fiber-optic network to deliver a revolutionary, new entertainment experience."

Massachusetts residents who are FiOS TV-eligible now have the option to trim their monthly bills by bundling FiOS TV service, FiOS Internet service and the Verizon Freedom Value unlimited calling plan, all for $104.99 a month.

    Service highlights include:
     -- FiOS TV Premier, the lead offer, delivers more than 200 all-digital
        channels.

     -- A total of 30 high-definition channels for Massachusetts customers,
        with extraordinary clarity and theater-quality sound delivered over
        uncompressed signals.

     -- An industry-leading library of more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles
        each month, 70 percent of which are free.

     -- Channels grouped by genres such as entertainment, sports, news,
        shopping, movies and family, making it easy for audiences to find
        their favorite programming.

     -- An easy-to-use interactive programming guide that integrates HD
        programming, On Demand content and the digital video recorder along
        with broadcast television into a seamless user experience.

     -- Set-top boxes ranging from a standard-definition box for $5.99 per
        month to the Home Media DVR, featuring a multi-room DVR that enables
        up to three simultaneous viewings of recorded programs without
        requiring customers to set up a complex home network or buy extra
        equipment.  The recorder is bundled with Media Manager, a new feature
        that lets customers easily access photos and music from their personal
        computer and play them on their entertainment center where they look
        and sound the best.  A standard definition Home Media DVR is $17.99
        per month.

     -- FiOS TV Widgets, a free interactive feature that provides local
        weather and traffic information.

Programming choices for Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Russian and other multicultural audiences are available in every market, making FiOS TV an outlet for emerging and independent networks to showcase their diverse programming.

Information on packages and prices is available at www.verizon.com/fiostv. Rochester and Walpole customers also can call 1-888-GET-FIOS to see if they qualify to order FiOS TV.

Verizon research indicates 87 percent of Massachusetts residents favor more competition and choice for video services. Independent studies have shown that competition in the video market brings enormous benefits to consumers in the form of reduced prices, better packages and improved service.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, the largest of its kind in the country, is currently under construction in more than half the states where the company offers landline communications services, including almost 100 Massachusetts communities.

The network brings the power and capacity of fiber optics directly into people's homes and has industry-leading quality and reliability. Fiber delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of uncompressed, high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. It also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps as well as high-quality voice services.

(More information about FiOS TV and fiber optics is available in Verizon's online News Center at www.verizon.com/news.)

The value of FiOS TV extends to the installation and customer support. Specially trained Verizon technicians will install the service and acquaint subscribers with FiOS TV features and services. Verizon is waiving the installation fee for up to three existing TV outlets, and there is no charge to install a needed optical network terminal at the subscriber's home. Charges for other installation services, such as additional outlets, may apply. Verizon provides 24 x 7 technical assistance by phone from its Fiber Solutions Centers in Providence, R.I., and other cities.

[FiOS TV is available in Abington, Acton, Andover, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Boxborough, Boxford, Braintree, Burlington, Canton, Dedham, Dunstable, Framingham, Franklin, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Ipswich, Lawrence, Lincoln, Littleton, Lexington, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marion, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Medfield, Medway, Melrose, Methuen, Middleborough, Nahant, Natick, Needham, Newton, North Reading, Norfolk, Norwood, Reading, Rochester, Rockland, Rowley, Sherborn, Southborough, Stoneham, Sudbury, Swampscott, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Walpole, Waltham, Wareham, Wayland, Wellesley, Wenham, West Newbury, Westborough, Westwood, Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn, as well as other locations in New York, New Jersey, California, Delaware, Texas, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. The company also has a TV franchise in Lakeville, Mass.]

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 more than 67 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 employed a diverse workforce of approximately 232,000 as of the end of the first quarter 2008 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon