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from: Syracuse.com

Verizon has no deal for CNY

Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By William LaRue
Staff writer

That $42.99-a-month offer for 200 channels, which Verizon Communications is dangling for its FiOS cable-TV service, remains out of reach in Central New York.

Instead, the company has focused on launching its video service Downstate and in other regions, where as of the end of 2006 it reported having 207,000 FiOS TV customers.

Since 2005, Verizon has installed fiber-optic cable and rolled out its FiOS high-speed Internet service to Syracuse and 14 neighboring communities.

Although also eager to offer cable TV in Upstate New York, Verizon hasn't announced any plans to do so, in part because it doesn't yet have video "head offices" and other equipment installed in this region for distribution of television signals, according to Cliff Lee, a spokesman for Verizon.

The company also hasn't filed an application for a video-franchise agreement with any Central New York municipality, Lee says. Even as it reaches such agreements elsewhere, he says, Verizon continues to seek federal and state authorization to launch FiOS TV without first obtaining separate approvals for each municipality.

Time Warner Cable spokesman Jeff Unaitis says the cable company remains confident its pricing packages and quality of service remain superior to anything Verizon would offer.