By Steve Donohue, FierceCable, October 4, 2013
| Verizon (NYSE: VZ) officials defended the company's decision | to halt new construction for its FiOS network this week at | public hearing in New Jersey Thursday, where its statewide | franchise is up for renewal. | | "Verizon has satisfied all of its current franchise | requirements," Verizon attorney William Smith said at the | hearing in Trenton, the state's capital, noting that the | company offers FiOS in 355 municipalities in 19 counties. New | Jersey Board of Public Utilities officials agreed that the | telco has met terms of the franchise it was granted in 2006, | according to a report on local news site NJ Spotlight. | | Verizon announced in 2010 that it would stop expanding FiOS to | new markets and only build its fiber-to-the-home network in | areas where it had already signed franchise deals. Consumer | groups and government officials in several cities have | protested that decision, including Boston, Baltimore and | Buffalo, N.Y.
Continued:
Neal McLain
***** Moderator's Note *****
I live in a wealthy suburban town, recently selected as the best in the U.S. by (IIRC) Money Magazine: Sharon, Massachusetts. The average household income is probably about $160,000.
Yet, Verizon does not offer FiOS here. They have no plans to do so.
Bill Horne Moderator