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Anne Arundel County is the fourth jurisdiction in Maryland to grant Verizon Communications a cable television franchise, clearing the way for the telecom giant's fiber optic-powered FiOS TV to go head to head with Comcast Cable.
The County Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to grant Verizon a video franchise, following the lead of Howard County and the cities of Bowie and Laurel.
Verizon expects to unveil FiOS TV in Anne Arundel County in the next couple of months.
"Our agreement with Anne Arundel County represents great progress for consumers who are eager for more competitive choice in their video service providers," said William R. Roberts, president of Verizon Maryland, in a statement. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will compete aggressively for Anne Arundel County consumers' communications, broadband and video business with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network."
Verizon is already operating its television service, featuring an array of digital video and music channels and high-definition and on-demand features, in parts of Howard County and in six other states. Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, the company will pay the county franchise fees based on its gross revenues on cable services.
Comcast has been firing back in the battle for cable television customers since last summer. That was when service to Comcast customers began to be disrupted by construction on Verizon's network, which involves stringing fiber-optic lines directly to customers' homes and businesses.
The cable giant dominates access locally to cable television offerings as well as high-speed Internet access, and has rolled out Internet telephone service, as well.
Verizon's FiOS TV will feature more than 330 channels, at packages starting at about $40 a month.
Anne Arundel County is the fourth jurisdiction in Maryland to grant Verizon Communications a cable television franchise, clearing the way for the telecom giant's fiber optic-powered FiOS TV to go head to head with Comcast Cable.
The County Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to grant Verizon a video franchise, following the lead of Howard County and the cities of Bowie and Laurel.
Verizon expects to unveil FiOS TV in Anne Arundel County in the next couple of months.
"Our agreement with Anne Arundel County represents great progress for consumers who are eager for more competitive choice in their video service providers," said William R. Roberts, president of Verizon Maryland, in a statement. "Competition drives innovation, value and service quality, and we will compete aggressively for Anne Arundel County consumers' communications, broadband and video business with our FiOS services, which are fueled by our lightning-fast fiber-optic network."
Verizon is already operating its television service, featuring an array of digital video and music channels and high-definition and on-demand features, in parts of Howard County and in six other states. Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, the company will pay the county franchise fees based on its gross revenues on cable services.
Comcast has been firing back in the battle for cable television customers since last summer. That was when service to Comcast customers began to be disrupted by construction on Verizon's network, which involves stringing fiber-optic lines directly to customers' homes and businesses.
The cable giant dominates access locally to cable television offerings as well as high-speed Internet access, and has rolled out Internet telephone service, as well.
Verizon's FiOS TV will feature more than 330 channels, at packages starting at about $40 a month.
