Eric Bangeman over at Ars Technica provides some insight into how much bandwidth Verizon's FiOS TV will consume. He also discusses whether FiOS TV would seriously limit the amount of bandwidth third party content providers would have remaining.

"With over 80 percent of network capacity devoted to [FiOS] TV, that leaves the remainder for all other traffic. So will Google, ESPN.com, and Ars Technica be battling to squeeze through that last <20 percent devoted to broadband access? Not quite."

Check it out.

Continuing its drive for nationwide carriage, Q Television Network will provide content for Verizon FiOS TV, Verizon's new fiber-optic TV service. Through the agreement, Verizon FiOS TV will offer QTN as a premium subscription service.

Verizon today launched FiOS TV in southern Manatee County, which joins Temple Terrace as the first Florida markets for Verizon's new fiber-optic television service.

Effective immediately, Verizon customers in an area of Manatee County bordered by University Parkway to the south, to neighborhoods just north of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, then running laterally from the coast to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard now have a choice for television - FiOS TV. Verizon will also make FiOS TV available in additional parts of Manatee County in the future, as determined by the company's franchise agreement.

The Hillsborough County Commission today awarded a far-reaching video franchise to Verizon for its FiOS TV product, to be delivered via its new, all-fiber network.

The franchise, which gives Verizon authority to offer FiOS TV to 735,000 residents of the county, is the largest municipal franchise granted thus far in Florida to the company. Hillsborough County also joins Manatee County and Temple Terrace as the third municipality in Florida to grant a franchise to Verizon, as it continues its campaign to be permitted to deliver television services to customers in its six-county service territory. Meanwhile, Verizon continues to negotiate with the cities of Tampa and Bradenton, and Sarasota and Pasco counties while also participating in an industry push to obtain passage by the Florida Legislature of a state-issued franchise law this year.

Verizon and the county of Hillsborough, Florida reached a tentative agreement Wednesday night to allow the company to offer its IPTV service, FiOS TV. The new agreement would allow Verizon to offer service to approximately 700,000 residents.

Verizon will be directly competing with the incumbent cable TV company, Bright House Networks.

The new deal has been speculated to create a price war between the two companies. Verizon's digital TV service contains an expanded basic package that will include 180 channels of television and music for $39.95 per month. Bright House Network's digital cable package of 175 television and music channels is $58.45 per month.

Thanks for the tip Rob.

Verizon unveiled FiOS TV in New York today to residents of this village of 17,000 on Long Island, making it the first community in the state to feature the new service. Verizon will begin taking customer orders immediately.

Massapequa Park-area customers also can call 1-877-4-FIOS-TV (1-877-434-6788) to see if they're able to order FiOS TV.

Verizon unveiled Verizon FiOS TV in Massachusetts today to residents of this city of 37,000 north of Boston, making it the first community in the state to feature the new service. Verizon will begin taking customer orders immediately.

Woburn-area customers also can call 1-877-4-FIOS-TV (1-877-434-6788) to see if they're able to order FiOS TV.

Verizon Communications and Yahoo! Inc. announced the availability of their latest fully-integrated, co-branded broadband service, Verizon Yahoo! for FiOS. The new service becomes one of the fastest broadband offerings on the market, providing customers with the benefits of Verizon, one of the world's leading providers of broadband and communications services, and Yahoo!, a leading Internet destination and one of the world's most recognized global Internet brand.

Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg told investors he sees sustainable shareholder value creation in 2006 and beyond, based on network investments that have produced product innovations, operational efficiencies and other competitive advantages for the company in the wireless, broadband and business markets.

Seidenberg said he is encouraged by the market acceptance of FiOS TV, the video offering supported by Verizon's advanced fiber-to-the-premises network. In Verizon’s first market -- Keller, Texas -- the company now has a market penetration of about 20 percent for FiOS TV since the service was launched in late September 2005. He added that Verizon continues to see strong demand and building momentum for all data services, including FiOS broadband and DSL services.

Verizon launched FiOS TV today in seven more North Texas communities, bringing to 14 the number of Dallas/Fort Worth suburbs where consumers can obtain the new competitive service that represents an alternative to existing cable and satellite services.

Effective immediately, Verizon local telephone customers in Colleyville, Grapevine, Murphy, Sachse, Southlake, Westlake and Wylie now have a new choice for television.

The long wait will soon be over for Howard County residents eager for cable TV competition, thanks to a unanimous Howard County Council vote Tuesday night (Jan. 3) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV in the county.

With its more than 265,000 potential viewers, Howard County is the first Maryland jurisdiction to grant Verizon a cable franchise. 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. The company also offers FiOS TV in Herndon and Fairfax County in Virginia, as well as other locations in Texas and Florida. Availability plans for FiOS TV in Howard County will be announced soon.

Amid all the industry talk about future IPTV services, Verizon FiOS TV customers are already using Internet protocol technology every time they order on-demand movies or navigate the service's interactive programming guide.

Internet protocol TV uses the same rules or protocols to deliver video that the Internet uses to transmit data. Verizon's IP-based video-on-demand service is powered by the SeaChange IP Video System, the most widely used media platform for on-demand television, with capabilities to support interactive advertising, games-on-demand and other new applications. Verizon is also using conventional broadcast technology to deliver scheduled programming for its fiber-optic FiOS TV service.

Verizon launched Verizon FiOS TV in six more North Texas communities, which join Keller as Dallas/Fort Worth suburbs where consumers can order the new service that provides a competitive alternative to existing cable and satellite services. FiOS TV and FiOS Internet Service are transmitted over the company's industry-leading, 100-percent fiber-optic network.

Effective immediately, Verizon local telephone customers in portions of northern Carrollton, Coppell, central Flower Mound, northern Fort Worth nearest Keller, north central Irving and central Lewisville can have a new choice for television -- Verizon FiOS TV. Verizon launched the service in Keller in September, and customer sales there are brisk. The company also recently began offering FiOS TV in Herndon, Va., and Temple Terrace, Fla.

Verizon unveiled Verizon FiOS TV in Florida today to residents of this city of 21,000 northeast of Tampa, making it the first community in the state to feature the new service. Verizon will begin taking customer orders immediately and will make FiOS TV available in communities across Verizon's service territory next year.

FiOS TV is the name given to Verizon's IPTV service delivered over their fiber-to-the-premises network.

FiOS TV subscribers can choose from three simple-to-understand service offerings, each with built-in choice and value. They can then choose from packages and premium channels with programming that meets their special interests. Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $3.95 per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.95 per month; and a digital video recorder set-top box with HD channels for $12.95 per month.

Verizon customers in Westboro can now download and upload in style with approximate downstream speeds of up to 5, 15 and 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and approximate upstream (upload) speeds of up to 5 Mbps as Verizon unviels its Verizon FiOS (FYE'-ose) suite of Internet services to homes and small business here.