By Anthony Rifilato
³Now, I have a lot more channels,² said Tedesco. ³Direct TV gets three Lifetime channels, and I¹m not paying extra for it.²
Soon, Tedesco and other residents with the Town of Hempstead may have more choices when it comes to cable television programming and service.
Last week, the town announced a landmark agreement with Verizon Communications, after it granted the burgeoning cable provider a franchise agreement to make available cable television through its fiber-optic telephone lines.
³I think it¹s great,² said Tedesco. ³If Verizon comes in with cable, that¹s fantastic.²
The agreement makes Hempstead the first town in the state to approve a cable television franchise agreement. The deal would create direct competition with longtime monopoly Cablevision, by offering packages that include not only cable television, but telephone and internet connections as well.
³It [fiber-optic network] is much faster than our own DSL service and that of many other cable companies,² said Verizon spokesperson John Bonomo.
Cablevision is currently the only cable television provider in the Town of Hempstead, and while Cablevision has an existing franchise agreement with the town, officials said that it is not exclusive, allowing another company such as Verizon to apply for one.
³The town board has heard the call for competition from neighbors across the township,² said Town Supervisor Kate Murray in a statement. ³I am proud that the Town of Hempstead is poised to be the first town in the state in which two cable television companies will compete for business.²
The deal would affect 500,000 residents and means Verizon would offer subscribers programming via its FiOS TV, providing nearly 180 channels including everything from sports programming such as GolTV and international channels like RAI Italian television. Rates for FiOS TV Premier is $39.95 per month, while Cablevision¹s iO Digital family Cable and broadcast basic is $32.41.
³The main benefit is that you have a choice, and you don¹t have that now,² said Bonomo. ³You have plenty of choices for your phone service, why can¹t you have choices for cable service as well.²
The franchise agreement, which town officials expect to be approved by the state¹s Public Service Commission in about two months, would apply only to unincorporated villages, like Baldwin, within the town.
³It¹s very historic,² Town Councilman Anthony Santino told members of the Baldwin Republican Club last week. ³Competition is good. It improves service and lowers costs. If approved, there will be cable television choice in the Town of Hempstead by this summer.²
At a Town Board meeting on April 4, Cablevision representatives argued that the agreement would not only give Verizon a competitive edge over Cablevision, but that the deal would not benefit low income and minority communities. Cablevision presented a map, using data given by Cablevision¹s engineers, to the board and claimed that Verizon¹s fiber-optic system is installed in wealthier parts of town, which Verizon officials called inaccurate.
³We¹re building it [the fiber-optic network] on a village by village basis,² said Bonomo after the meeting. ³I think everyone who has seen what our plans are, who can read a map, can see that we would like nothing more than to wire up the entire Town of Hempstead.²
Murray said that the she was told by Verizon officials that the first communities to benefit from the agreement would be North Baldwin, Roosevelt, Lakeview and Elmont. Cablevision did not return a call for comment.
Bonomo said that 65 percent of town would be wired by the end this year, while 87percent could be completed by the end of 2007.
³It does mean we need to go around to other villages and get their approval,² said Bonomo.
Verizon has similar agreements with Massapequa Park and in the town of Nyack in Rockland County, and is expanding its fiber-optic system across the country.
