said by gaforces :

Sounds like they need to open up the bidding process for other's who can do it just as well ... it's a global marketplace you know.

said by gaforces :

When you have a company that says "We will give you service on our terms with our rules, or forget it" it would be hard to work with them if you are representing the people who want the service.
Sounds like they need to open up the bidding process for other's who can do it just as well ... it's a global marketplace you know.
It would be better to have none, for now, than something that doesn't meet their needs. Especially since they abandoned northeast coast already ...
15 year contract is way too long to lock into any technology because 5 years from now, things will change.

said by JTRockville :

Nothing would stop Verizon from deploying right now, if they owned their own property.

But since they want to install equipment on public property, they have to commit to serving the public interest.

said by patcat88 :

There is no question about public property. Verizon has public access through being a ILEC/Baby Bell. Its FIOS equipment CAN NOT BE REGULATED by the govt.

said by patcat88 :

Well at the rate this negotiation is going, prepare to wait 5 years for FIOS.

said by nasadude :

to me looks more like a shining example of elected officials looking out for their constituents.

said by pnh102 :

There is nothing wrong with redlining for the sake of profit. Verizon has every right to deploy FIOS to wherever it believes it will make the most money selling the service and nowhere else..

said by sporkme :

As for redlining, VZ inexplicably built out the crappiest part of this town before going into the moneyed neighborhoods...

said by rit56 :

there's to much money at stake and they would never walk away from New York and you know it. aside from the cash they would loose, long term, the public relations nightmare that would come will hurt Verizon. they have to have a significant presence in new York otherwise they will look terrible. not offer their premier service in the media capital of the United States? are you kidding? they will never ever leave the table. they are hardly in a position to dictate terms. for them to not offer FIOS in New York City will be the worst possible outcome for Verizon.

Back in October city council members were complaining that they were being kept out of the loop:

said by pnh102 :

The only thing the NYC government will succeed in doing is ensure that its citizens receive "equal service."

said by IM1811 :

Cherry Picking was not an issue in Haverstraw NY deployment.
Fios has been available in Haverstraw New York since last year.
The 2000 census counted 10,117 people
59.29% Hispanic or Other Latin
46.02% White
12.07% Black or African American
About 13.9% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line.
If Verizon was cherry picking, we wouldn't have seen Fios here for 100 years.

said by eisenmen :

There is a history of redlining in NYC. Verizon's DSL deployment was extremely slow to arrive in low-income neighborhoods, particularly in the South Bronx. The whole point of a local cable franchise is that the municipality has the authority (and responsibility) to ensure that this market based inequality doesn't occur for a prolonged period. Local officials who fail to serve their constituents in this manner likely won't be in office for long.

said by jammmin :

True. The Bronx didn't get cable until after 1992 while a few feet over in Mount Vernon in Westchester County has cable for many many years before.

said by dak70 :

Cable cherry picking is a myth pushed by over controlling local governments trying to sqweeze all the money the can out of businesses.

Marketing has shown that lower income areas purchase just as many video services as more affluent areas. Research ahs also shown that lower income families tend to watch more TV.
So why would VZ exclude their best customers?

Excellent response. I did see a study regarding this a few years ago.

Most of my rich friends have only basic cable. Most of my middle income to low income friends have basic plus all the premiums, internet and more.

said by jammmin :

Did Cablevision and Timewarner buildout their respective areas in NYC within 5 years of a franchise agreement?

said by rit56 :

the corporate lackeys are out in full force today as usual. I hope the city sticks to it's guns and forces Verizon to wire the whole city and not cherry pick. all of you who don't live here should mind your own business. as far as the mayor holding out for all his graft or whatever pnh102 corporate boy said Bloomberg is a self made billionare he could give a crap about graft. Bloomberg started Bloomberg the financial news agency. Don't you think he is aware of how important information is and that the better the access the better for economic vitality? this is his last year in office and maybe he's thinking of his legacy. New York won't let them cherry pick and in 10 years New York will be the most wired city in the United States, with the most choice for broadband and with the most competitive prices and none of you will mention it's because of what the mayor did and how they held their ground against Verizon. I posted here a long time ago about this sort of thing and I used the subway system as an example. New York is the financial capital and most affluent city in America in large part to mass transit. when the subways were built they weren't built to accommodate the affluent. they reached into all parts of the city and as each stop opened it brought residents to the area and the economy boomed. if the entire city is wired the the entire city benefits and New York will again be far ahead of the rest of the United States. I think it's high time that someone, some GOVERNMENT somewhere in the United States makes Verizon provide their service to the whole city in exchange for the coveted franchise agreement they seek. why don't you all talk about how Verizon completely screwed Pennsylvania? why aren't you corporate apologists mentioning how Verizon has encountered a local GOVERNMENT, New York City that won't roll over for them and wants a deal that will help ALL New Yorkers and not just rich folk in exchange for their franchise agreement?