Tampa and Hillsborough County residents want choice, competition and an alternative to their cable TV company. In a poll conducted during the week of June 13, an overwhelming majority of those responding to the Verizon-sponsored poll expressed strong support for a fiber-optic alternative for television service.

Such an alternative would exist when Verizon begins to offer IPTV over its Verizon FiOS service.

"Tampa area residents want to decide for themselves about a choice other than cable, and Verizon wants to make cable compete," said Alan Ciamporcero, president of Verizon in Florida. "We aren't surprised by these poll results. We know there is a thirst among consumers for an alternative to cable."

Among the findings from the survey:

• When asked if they had cable or satellite television service, 79 percent of Tampa respondents and 87 percent of Hillsborough County respondents said yes.
• When asked whether or not they support companies being able to offer television service through a fiber-optic network as competition to cable and satellite, 78 percent in Tampa and 83 percent in Hillsborough County were in favor.
• When asked about Verizon being one of these companies, 68 percent were positive in Tampa and 62 percent in Hillsborough County, an average of 65 percent.
• Most area residents are not satisfied with the level of competition in the cable television service market. Fully 57 percent of Tampa residents and 51 percent of Hillsborough County residents say they are not satisfied with the amount of competition between companies that provide cable television service in their area. Dissatisfaction is even greater among those who currently have cable television service. Six out of 10 cable subscribers in Tampa (60 percent) say they are not satisfied with the amount of cable service competition, as do 52 percent of Hillsborough cable subscribers.
• Whether young or old, male or female, white, African-American or Latino, there is broad support for increasing the number of companies offering this type of television service, with the percentage favoring more choice ranging from 64 percent to 85 percent. "These impressive results show the strongly held view that consumers in Tampa and Hillsborough County want an alternative to the dominant cable provider," said Bill McInturff, principal, Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the survey.

Ciamporcero said, "Clearly, Verizon's plans to provide a competitive alternative to the cable company through our fiber network resonate with consumers. When local officials decide to open the door to more choice -- a choice that consumers control, not the cable industry -- that decision will be well-received by both city and county residents."

The survey is based on 600 telephone interviews. All respondents were 18 years of age or older, as well as registered voters in Tampa or Hillsborough County.*

*The margin of error for the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County survey sample is plus or minus 5.66 percent. A summary of the survey and information about how to help speed choice for cable TV in the Tampa Bay area are available at http://www.verizon.com/florida.

For more information about Verizon FiOS, see our Verizon FiOS category or our article, "Have you caught the FiOS fever?"