Nearly 82,000 residents in six municipalities represented by the West Chester Area Council of Governments are a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the council's vote last night (May 22) recommending that each member community authorize Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.

The municipalities -- the borough of West Chester and the townships of East Bradford, East Goshen, West Goshen, Thornbury and Westtown - will soon join a growing list of southeastern Pennsylvania communities that have said yes to cable competition in Chester County.

Eight other southeastern Pennsylvania communities have awarded cable franchises to Verizon. They are: the townships of Valley and East Marlborough and the borough of Modena in Chester County; Hulmeville Borough in Bucks County; Thornbury Township in Delaware County; the boroughs of Lansdale and Schwenksville; and the township of Worcester in Montgomery County. Verizon will announce availability plans for FiOS TV in Chester County 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 the council of government members for their commitment to negotiate on behalf of their communities and 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. Petersen, president of Verizon Pennsylvania. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will compete aggressively for business in Chester County with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network.

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

Under the agreement, Verizon would pay the communities franchise fees based on the company's gross revenues on cable services.