SILVER SPRING, Md., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 32,000 additional Montgomery County consumers now can drop their cable provider for good, as Verizon expands its industry-leading FiOS TV service to portions of Ashton, Damascus, Germantown, Olney and Sandy Springs.

FiOS TV service is available to more than 138,000 Montgomery County households - more than one-third of the households in the county. FiOS TV is delivered over the nation's most advanced all-fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes.

Residents of these communities join consumers who can order FiOS TV in parts of Bethesda, Brookeville, Burtonsville, Chevy Chase, Colesville, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Kensington, the Montrose area, North Potomac, Potomac, Randolph Hills, Silver Spring and Wheaton.

"Customers' response to FiOS TV has been astounding since we began offering the service in Montgomery County five short months ago," said William R. Roberts, president of Verizon Maryland. "Every day, more Marylanders are choosing Verizon and saying goodbye to their cable company. New customers tell us they love the service, and now more than a third of Montgomery County homes can join the all-fiber, FiOS revolution."

To give consumers a chance to experience Verizon's FiOS services live, the company has opened a FiOS kiosk in the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. At the kiosk - located outside the Brookstone store on the mall's first floor - consumers can test drive the ultra-fast FiOS Internet Service and FiOS TV, with its unparalleled theater-quality picture and innovative, unique features; ask questions of the product experts on hand, and order the service.

Consumers can check online at http://www.verizon.com/fiostv to see if FiOS TV is already available in their area or to request that Verizon contact them when FiOS TV is available. Consumers also can call their local Verizon sales office or 1-877-4-FIOS-TV (1-877-434-6788).

Service Highlights

Verizon's FiOS TV Premier package delivers more than 200 all-digital channels for $42.99 per month. Washington metropolitan area customers have access to 27 high-definition (HD) channels and 8,600 on-demand titles, 60 percent of which are free. Sports fans subscribing to FiOS TV Premier also will receive Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN and MASN 2) at no extra charge. MASN carries the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Ravens and various NCAA teams.

Verizon offers three set-top boxes: standard definition for $4.99 per month; high definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.99 per month; and a dual-tuner, HD-capable digital video recorder for $12.99 per month.

Verizon also offers innovative features not available from other providers, such as Home Media DVR (digital video recorder) and FiOS TV Widgets. Home Media DVR, at $19.99 per month, has a multiroom DVR feature enabling up to three simultaneous viewings of recorded programs without requiring customers to set up a complex home network or buy extra equipment. Customers also can access photos and music on their PCs and play them on their TVs. FiOS TV Widgets is a free interactive feature that provides viewers with local weather and traffic information while they're watching their favorite shows.

"Our all-fiber-optic network delivers a superior customer experience today, and has an abundance of bandwidth for the exciting services we'll offer in the future," said Toby S. Frank, Verizon's director of regional marketing support for Maryland.

In addition to the franchise agreement with Montgomery County, Verizon has obtained franchises with 16 additional municipalities within the county. Verizon will bring FiOS TV in 2007 and beyond to additional communities in Montgomery County and other markets in Maryland where it has obtained franchises. In addition to Maryland, Verizon currently offers FiOS TV in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The company is preparing to offer FiOS TV in parts of Indiana and Rhode Island.

FiOS TV is delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises network, which is currently under construction in more than half the states where the company offers landline communications services. Only Verizon's network has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers' homes.

Fiber delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. It also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps as well as high-quality voice service.(*)

"Our all-fiber-optic upgrade is a complete transformation of Verizon's communications network," said Roberts. "This transformation will offer consumers the very best services: super-fast Internet speeds, superior TV and crystal-clear voice, all at competitive prices with Verizon's unmatched reliability and great customer service."

The value of FiOS TV extends to the installation and customer support. Specially trained Verizon technicians will install the service and acquaint subscribers with FiOS TV features and services. Verizon is waiving the installation fee for up to three existing TV outlets, and there is no charge to install a needed optical network terminal at the subscriber's home. Charges for other installation services, such as additional outlets, may apply. Verizon provides 24x7 technical assistance by phone from its specialized Fiber Solutions Centers.

(*) NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 59 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which operates one of the most expansive wholly owned global IP networks, and Verizon Telecom, which is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

CONTACT: Christy Reap, +1-202-392-1021, or creap@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.verizon.com/news
http://www.verizon.com/fiostv

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