The Rockland County village of Grandview-on-Hudson is bringing its residents a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the Village Board's vote last night (July 17) to award a video franchise to Verizon for its FiOS TV service. Also last night, the Long Island village of Lynbrook granted Verizon a video franchise, increasing the company's total number of franchises in the state to 10.

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 Grandview-on-Hudson, who now will have more choice for their video entertainment," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "We applaud Mayor Larry Lynn and the Village Trustees 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.

Grandview-on-Hudson is the fourth Rockland County community to grant Verizon a cable franchise, following the villages of Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack. In addition to Lynbrook, the Long Island communities of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay have also granted Verizon cable franchises.

Customers in Grandview-on-Hudson 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 Grandview-on-Hudson 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.

FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, more than 20 high-definition channels, video on demand and more. Verizon's fiber network 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. In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also allows the company to offer consumers and businesses high-speed FiOS Internet service, which is currently available in many New York communities.

Verizon's FTTP network, which is the largest of its kind in the country, has industry-leading quality and reliability. It is currently under construction in more than half of the states where the company offers landline communications services, including more than 150 New York communities.