Verizon continues changing the definition of "fast" for Maryland, Virginina, Pennsylvania and Florida broadband users by introducing a new, symmetrical Verizon FiOS Internet service for consumers, featuring upstream and downstream connection speeds of up to 15 megabits per second. The company also has introduced a new, fastest-speed FiOS Internet service that offers a downstream connection speed of up to 30 Mbps and a new upstream connection speed of up to 15 Mbps.

These new offerings - delivered straight to customers' homes on the nation's most-advanced, all-digital, all-fiber-optic network - are the first of their kind commercially available to consumers on a mass scale.

Using a 15 Mbps upstream connection, a consumer could upload a 250 megabyte file of 200 photos in just over two minutes, compared with about 47 minutes over a 768 kilobits per second upstream connection. A 500 MB file, such as 400 digital photos or a medical imaging data set, could upload in less than five minutes, compared with about 90 minutes over a 768 kbps connection. A three gigabyte file, such as a one-hour family video shot with a high-definition video camera, can be uploaded in about 27 minutes, compared with more than nine hours with 768 kbps upstream.

The equally fast upstream and downstream connection speeds of the new symmetrical FiOS service also enhance interactive services like video conferencing, online multi-player gaming, telemedicine, electronic home monitoring, online work collaboration and more.

The new symmetrical FiOS Internet service is available for as low as $64.99 a month with an annual service plan. Since consumers with ever-growing collections of photos, music, video and other data want to quickly and easily store and protect their files, the symmetrical FiOS services include a comprehensive Internet security suite plus one GB of network-based backup at no additional charge. Customers who subscribe to the new Internet service can upgrade their backup to as much as 50 GB at competitive rates.

The new, fastest FiOS Internet service with a downstream connection speed of up to 30 Mbps and an upstream connection speed of up to 15 Mbps is available for as low as $139.95 a month in an annual plan. This represents a $40 a month price decrease from the previous highest-speed FiOS service.