Verizon has wasted no time getting California's first state-issued video franchise for their FiOS IPTV service after the Public Utilities Commission recently changed California's video-franchising process.

Under the franchise, Verizon can offer FiOS TV in 45 more communities in Southern California. These are in addition to the 18 communities where the service is already available under locally approved franchises.

Later this month, the company will announce the communities that will be first to get FiOS TV under the state-issued franchise. They will include many in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties where construction of the nation's most advanced digital all-fiber-optic network is already complete. Verizon will announce more communities as workers finish the network construction in new areas.



"The commission's rapid approval of our application opens up an exciting new dimension in home entertainment for many of our Southern California customers," said Tim McCallion, Verizon's West region president. "This is a huge victory for consumers."

Verizon was the first company to file an application for a state-issued video franchise under California's new video franchise law.

California Congress of Seniors President Hank Lacayo said, "I am pleased that the commission has taken a leadership role in implementing this groundbreaking legislation authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. Today's franchise approval will empower seniors as well as other consumers to choose the best entertainment service available."

Verizon's FiOS TV Premier package delivers 200 all-digital channels - including an array of multicultural programming - for $42.99 per month. The package includes 21 high-definition (HD) channels, and five more HD channels are available with premium movie subscriptions. Under the basic package, viewers can choose from a video on demand library of 8,600 titles, and 60 percent of those selections are available without an additional charge.

FiOS TV features entertainment in a variety of languages in addition to its English-language programming. Spanish-speaking viewers can choose La Conexion, a package of 140 popular English and Spanish-language channels for $32.99 per month, or a Spanish-language package for $11.99 per month. Verizon also offers 17 international premium channels in languages such Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

Verizon also offers Home Media DVR (digital video recorder) and FiOS TV Widgets. Home Media DVR, at $19.99 per month, allows the family to use one DVR to access recorded programming from multiple rooms in the house. Customers also can access photos and music on their PCs and play them on their TV. FiOS TV Widgets is a free interactive feature that provides viewers with local weather and traffic information while they're watching their favorite shows.

Verizon is providing FiOS services on its fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. Only this network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes and businesses.