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Cablevision Fights FiOS Expansion

After 6 years of haggling between Verizon, the New York State Public Service Commission and the City Counsel of Glen Cove, New York, citizens of Glen Cove are one step closer to having FiOS TV service available to them. With 85% of the city already wired for FiOS, all that is needed to start the service is a franchise agreement between the parties.

The Glen Cove City Counsel is expected to vote on a resolution to enter into an initial franchise agreement with Verizon at an upcoming Council meeting. At the moment, only Cablevision has a franchise agreement with the city and Verizon has stated that they will pay the same franchise fee per customer as Cablevision.

But Cablevision has a few issues that they want addressed before the City agrees to a new franchise agreement. What are they? According to Newsday, it's the old "level playing field":

quote:
Cablevision attorney Peter Bee said the company welcomes the competition but suggested changes in the agreement so that both companies will be working from the "same level playing field." Bee said Cablevision's franchise agreement -- approved in 1978 and renewed in 2010 for 15 years -- calls for it to provide free cable television service to City Hall, the fire department and schools, while the Verizon agreement does not mention that. Bee said the free service is worth more than $300,000 a year and if Verizon doesn't have to do the same thing, it gives the competitor an unfair advantage.
Verizon Attorney Paul Trane points out to the City Counsel that the franchise agreements between Verizon and Cablevision do not have to include the exact same language but must be fundamentally equal, which apparently only Cablevision believes it is not.

Cablevision’s rep tells the Glen Cove City Counsel they are simply trying to point out where the city could do “better” with its franchise contracts. Why are the Glen Cove citizens wanting FiOS so bad? The absence of a competitor has long left residents with no option other than Cablevision, and complaints of steep bills and no recourse," notes the Glen Cove Patch.
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HeadSpinning
MNSi Internet
join:2005-05-29
Windsor, ON

HeadSpinning

Member

All I hear is...

Waaaaaahhh!!!

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

Re: All I hear is...

So, are they saying that all fire departments and schools should have two TV providers !!!?? lmao Fn Cablevision.

How bout the "majority TV provider" of the town be responsible for such things. So until you share 49% of the subscribers, zip it.

and suuuure they welcome competition. haha
ITALIAN926

ITALIAN926

Member

Re: All I hear is...

Also, where do they get this $300,000 figure from? Lets simply say there were 10 schools and fire departments, even 10 city-halls. Each TV subscription is worth $10,000 a year in TV service? Is that a joke?

Headspinning said it all
quote:
Waaaaaahhh!!!
On a sidenote, Verizon getting a new franchise is very good news !
navyson
join:2011-07-15
Upper Marlboro, MD

navyson

Member

Franchise agreements

I thought Verizon had stopped trying to get new franchise agreements and was only working on expanding current areas only that have franchise agreements.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

1 edit

1 recommendation

ITALIAN926

Member

Re: Franchise agreements

Whether the internet nerds on this site want to believe it or not, FiOS penetration in non-franchised areas does extremely poor. Verizon MUST expand into towns like this. TV still sells the fiber, whether Verizon executives want to believe it or not.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

1 recommendation

Bill Neilson to navyson

Premium Member

to navyson
The city was just about fully wired for FiOS. Therefore the brunt work of expansion was already done. So (and this is my guess), Verizon was in a way just turning on their service due to past construction in the city.

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

1 recommendation

n2jtx

Member

Re: Franchise agreements

said by Bill Neilson:

The city was just about fully wired for FiOS. Therefore the brunt work of expansion was already done. So (and this is my guess), Verizon was in a way just turning on their service due to past construction in the city.

Quite true. When they fibered my area of Glen Head which is just south of Glen Cove, the also covered Glen Cove. As noted, the problem was they did not have an agreement with the city to provide service. My area is an unincorporated area of the Town of Oyster Bay and TOB had already reached an agreement with Verizon which is why various areas of TOB are covered whereas the city and various villages are not due to them having to negotiate their own agreements. Verizon went after the highest density areas that could be covered with the fewest negotiated franchise agreements. I suspect that had they not bothered to install FiOS infrastructure in Glen Cove when they were hooking everyone else up, Glen Cove would not be even looking at getting FiOS service.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA to navyson

Premium Member

to navyson
Sounds like they're doing internet now, and want to expand into TV so they can do triple play.
YDC
join:2007-11-13
Hewlett, NY

YDC

Member

competition?

Verizon is better as far as delivered service. Customer service.. not so much. Their billing is horrible. I am on hold with Verizon now as they pretend to fix something they bill me for every month wrong. I guarantee if the error was a loss to their pocket it would have been fixed by now!
YDC

YDC

Member

300,000 might be right

The 300,000 probably includes digital phone systems which generally run about 80,000 each.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

1 edit

ITALIAN926

Member

Re: 300,000 might be right

Please, Im sure Cablevision signed their TV franchise agreement long before they offered phone service.
YDC
join:2007-11-13
Hewlett, NY

YDC

Member

Re: 300,000 might be right

Doubt it. I know the Suozzis well.

ITALIAN926
join:2003-08-16

ITALIAN926

Member

Re: 300,000 might be right

Vonage launched in 2004, so Cablevision has offered digital phone for less than 10 years. Are you saying there was no Cablevision TV service prior to that?
YDC
join:2007-11-13
Hewlett, NY

YDC

Member

Re: 300,000 might be right

There was cable in the 60's although the 70's was the true beginning in the NY area. I was among the first of the ISPs in NY. Trust me, I know

Jamco
@205.123.151.x

Jamco

Anon

Direct TV For K-12

Any school can sign up for DirectTV for K-12. It's free and comes with 4 receivers. You just have to get somebody to install it. Not sure if they would do the same for Police or Fire...

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: Direct TV For K-12

said by Jamco :

Any school can sign up for DirectTV for K-12. It's free and comes with 4 receivers. You just have to get somebody to install it. Not sure if they would do the same for Police or Fire...

A whole four receivers? What about the dozens of other TVs that will need a receiver?
ssavoy
Premium Member
join:2007-08-16
Dallas, PA

ssavoy

Premium Member

Cablevision's Goal:



YukonHawk
join:2001-01-07
Patterson, NY

YukonHawk

Member

Re: Cablevision's Goal:

Cablevision should sign a deal with Verizon so they can be assured of no further expansion like the way CC did. What a joke!
YDC
join:2007-11-13
Hewlett, NY

YDC

Member

No Joke

Sadly, it is no joke, and every time they dig deeper, we pay more. It will at some point become a loss making business when too many cut their service down. Then will come the dumb-pipe. Time will fix this, but it takes too long for those things to happen on their own.

cchhat01
Dr. Zoidberg
join:2001-05-01
Elmhurst, NY

cchhat01

Member

Re: No Joke

Why would such a thing ever get fixed with the likes of Verizon and Comcast just waiting to nickel and dime the end users any chance they get. One way or another, these corporate losses always get passed onto those who use service (any service, dumb-pipe or not). If Verizon/Comcast loses out on that incentive, some other entity will step in and milk that cow.
The problem is that law and regulations are never really pro-consumer as long as there are corporate lobbyists around who simply get senators and congressmen to introduce ridiculous legislature and even manage to get them approved and converted into law.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

own worst enemy..

Verizon's prices aren't exactly breaking new records for competition.. so in that sense they are their own worst enemy. As a side-note, it does put CV on notice that once customers age-out of 1 or 2 year deals and see higher prices, there is a choice to keep a lower price (AKA CHURN, BABY, CHURN). That's about the only one trick pony the consumer has... when there are two providers who deploy next gen networks... HINT, ATT uverse dsl is NOT a next-gen network... go fiber/docsis or go away..

sandman9r
Premium Member
join:2003-11-09
Franklin Square, NY

sandman9r

Premium Member

Very Happy

I've been a satisfied CV customer in Bronx County for over a decade. I don't get what's not to like about CV's service.

Their internet is blazing fast, their wifi is everywhere, they offer every major channel that's watched by the American public...What's up with Long Island?!

CV definitely has a point that VZ would get an unfair advantage if they're not forced to pay for service for schools, first responders, etc. CV is justified in using their legal team here.

Eddy120876
join:2009-02-16
Bronx, NY

Eddy120876

Member

Re: Very Happy

Im an un satisfied CV customer. Hate then with a passion for their low and despicable tactics. Look at what their money is doing to Coop city. The board is going to vote against allowing competition in. Which we know Competition help us consumers. Competition to CV=No more nickel and dime in the customer.
jrehm
join:2002-04-28
Wappingers Falls, NY

jrehm

Member

Re: Very Happy

I agree! Any provider that is the only game in town needs some competition to keep them in check. Options for customers is what keeps improvements coming and separates the men from the boys. If Verizon ever allow recording of more than 2 programs at the same time CV better watch the hell out!

KCrimson
Premium Member
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY

KCrimson

Premium Member

Cablevision NEVER Misses A Chance To Look Bad

Cablevision stooping low again. Verizon is saddled with state, federal and municipal fees that they are legally obligated to charge consumers due to their original POTS ILEC status and Cablevision LOVES to advertise this inequity as if Verizon had ANY say in the matter. In fact, the cable consortium made SURE those fees were kept in place.

... and now they're worried that THEY are being treated unfairly because they previously AGREED to carriage as part of a franchise negotiation? Its sad that THIS represents the level of executive decision making at such a wealthy US corporation, it bodes poorly on the ethics of our nation's business people.

datguy11
@verizon.net

datguy11

Anon

lifeline phone service

Does cablevision have to offer low cost $1 a month lifeline phone service in areas where they compete with Verizon for phone service?

Verizon does