Verizon Communications Inc. looks increasingly impatient to roll out
> its Web-based television service nationwide, suing a Maryland county
> last week for hampering its entry, but getting licenses may only be > half the battle.
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Analysts say that while Verizon's state-of-the-art fiber optic network
> allows multiple channels of high-definition video and faster
> downloading, the phone company must show more proof that its
> multibillion-dollar investment is worthwhile.
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"This is a once-in-a-century network upgrade," said Shawn Strickland,
> head of Verizon's FiOS TV product line.
> But while Verizon is connecting fiber optic cables directly to
> customers' homes to optimize bandwidth, AT&T is making use of existing
> copper lines and as a result spending only around half as much on > fiber, analysts say.
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Moreover, programming and prices are alike. Most FiOS customers who
> take triple play packages pay around $100 a month, similar to cable
> operators' bundles.
Interesting article.
Suppose Verizon fibers up my neighborhood and comes to my curb; and I tell 'em I only want a double play package: Internet connectivity, at some reasonable bandwidth (maybe 1 to 10 Mb/s) and phone -- no TV. Think they'll sell me that at a somewhat lower price?
And whether they do this or not, if I take whatever they offer, is it likely it will be truly network-neutral Internet connectivity? -- that is, they just don't intercept or mess with my Internet packets for any reason (except of course for whatever eavesdropping obscenities Bush, Cheney and Gonzales try to foist on them and me).