The Long Island village of Laurel Hollow is bringing its residents a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the Village Board of Trustees' unanimous vote last night (June 22) to award a video franchise to Verizon for its FiOS TV service.

FiOS TV is Verizon's state-of-the-art, fiber-optic television service, which will be delivered via the company's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. Verizon is the first company to offer such a communications network, connecting homes and businesses directly to fiber optics on a widespread scale.

"This is great news for residents of Laurel Hollow, who now will have more choice for their video entertainment," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "We applaud the village trustees and Mayor Denise DeVita for helping to bring choice and control to their residents. Competition drives innovation, value and service quality.

"We look forward to similarly successful negotiations with other towns and villages throughout New York state," said Azare.

Laurel Hollow is the fifth Long Island community - and the eighth in the state - to grant Verizon a cable franchise, following the communities of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay. The Rockland County villages of Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack have also granted Verizon cable franchises.

Customers in Laurel Hollow join this growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreement between Laurel Hollow and Verizon is subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

Verizon, which launched FiOS TV last September in Keller, Texas, currently offers the service in parts of California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Virginia.