The Montgomery County township of Perkiomen brought its residents a major step closer to choice for their cable television services, thanks to the township supervisors' vote last night (June 6) authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.

The township is the fourth Montgomery County jurisdiction - and the ninth in the state -- to grant Verizon a cable franchise, following the boroughs of Schwenksville and Lansdale and the township of Worcester. They join a growing list of southeastern Pennsylvania communities that have granted cable franchises to Verizon.

The other communities are: Hulmeville Borough in Bucks County; the townships of Valley and East Marlborough and the borough of Modena in Chester County; and the township of Thornbury in Delaware County. In addition, the West Chester Area Council of Governments has recommended that its six Chester County member communities authorize Verizon to offer its fiber-optic-powered FiOS TV.

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.

"Perkiomen township supervisors have made the right call for their constituents, who will be able 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 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 15-year agreement, Verizon will be able to offer FiOS TV service to residents of Perkiomen Township. In addition, the agreement requires Verizon to pay the community franchise fees based on the company's gross revenues on cable services.