The Montgomery County township of Worcester became the sixth Pennsylvania municipality to bring its residents a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the township board’s vote last night (April 19) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.

Worcester Township joins a growing list of southeastern Pennsylvania communities that have granted cable franchises to Verizon, including Hulmeville Borough in Bucks County, Schwenksville Borough in Montgomery County, Valley Township and East Marlborough Township in Chester County, and Thornbury Township in Delaware County. Verizon will announce availability plans for FiOS TV in Worcester and the other communities later this year.

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. The company will make FiOS TV available in Pennsylvania markets where it has negotiated franchise agreements with local authorities.

"We applaud Worcester Township officials for their foresight in putting into place the foundation that will allow consumers to choose their video provider as easily as they now choose their phone company," said William B. Carnahan, Verizon Pennsylvania vice president of external affairs. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will compete aggressively for business in Montgomery County with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network.

"We hope to bring these benefits to more Montgomery County consumers by reaching similar agreements with other municipalities."

Under the agreement, Verizon will be able to offer FiOS TV service to residents of the township and will be required to pay community franchise fees based on the company’s gross revenues on cable services.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming with more than 350 total channels, nearly two-dozen high-definition channels, video on demand and more. It is delivered over Verizon’s fiber-to-the-premises network, which has industry-leading quality and reliability. Fiber delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. Verizon’s network design includes backup facilities not common to traditional cable systems, such as duplicate "head ends" where the TV service receives national programming.

In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon’s fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet Service at download speeds of up to 30 mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds up to 5 mbps.* FiOS Internet Service currently is available to many consumers and small businesses in Montgomery County, as well as parts of Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties.