The long wait will soon be over for Lynnfield residents eager for cable-TV competition, thanks to a unanimous Board of Selectmen vote Monday night (March 20) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV in the town.

With its more than 11,500 potential viewers, Lynnfield is the third Massachusetts municipality to grant Verizon a cable franchise. The company also offers FiOS TV in Woburn and Reading, Mass., as well as other locations in New York, California, Texas, Florida, Maryland and Virginia.

Verizon launched FiOS TV Sept. 22, 2005, in Keller, Texas, unveiling a broad collection of all-digital programming with more than 330 total channels and more on the way. Availability plans for FiOS TV in Lynnfield will be announced soon.

"We applaud the selectmen and the town manager for moving Lynnfield to the forefront of communities nationwide where consumers will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company," said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and it puts the consumer in control.

"Verizon will compete aggressively for subscribers in Lynnfield with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network," she added.

Under the 10-year agreement, Verizon can begin immediately to provide FiOS TV to Lynnfield residents. In addition, the agreement contains provisions for the network’s future growth; financial support and capacity for educational and government access channels; cable service to government buildings; and other important benefits to the town, including insurance, indemnification and enforcement protections.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. It is delivered over Verizon’s fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. Fiber 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. Verizon’s network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional cable systems, such as duplicate "head ends" where the TV service receives national programming.

In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon’s fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet Service at download speeds of up to 30 mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 5 mbps