The long wait will soon be over for Lake Elsinore residents eager for cable-TV competition, thanks to a City Council vote last night (April 11) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV in the community.

Although the agreement was unanimously approved 5-0, there will be a required second reading of the ordinance on April 25. Once approved, it will become effective 30 days later.

"This is great news for the 28,000 residents of Lake Elsinore, who are now much closer to having greater choice for their video entertainment," said Tim McCallion, president for Verizon’s Pacific region. "We commend the City Council, mayor, city staff and city attorney for their dedication and hard work throughout this process. Lake Elsinore’s leaders recognize and support the technological advantage and competitive benefits fiber will bring to their community."

Lake Elsinore is the fifth California municipality to grant Verizon a cable franchise. The company has franchises in Beaumont and Murrieta, where FiOS TV launched earlier this year, and Hermosa Beach and Apple Valley, where FiOS TV will be available in the near future. Verizon also offers FiOS TV in parts of Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Virginia.

Verizon launched FiOS TV last September in Keller, Texas, unveiling a broad collection of all-digital programming with more than 350 total channels and more on the way. Availability plans for FiOS TV in Lake Elsinore will be announced soon.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. 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