Residents of Sarasota and Bradenton might be stuck with copper phone lines and limited in their television choices long after their neighbors outside the city limits get the options that come with glass fiber.

Verizon has halted its full rollout of a fiber-optic network to the cities, saying the permitting process there is too expensive. But city officials maintain that the telecommunications company just doesn't want to play by the rules that protect residents from inadvertent damage to utility lines.

Verizon, the primary local phone company for Sarasota and Manatee counties, is replacing its old copper network in 11 states with an underground fiber-optic network that can carry voice, data (at super speeds) and video services. Story Continues ...