Florida's Sarasota County awarded a franchise to Verizon for its FiOS TV service, to be delivered via its new, digital all-fiber network.
The franchise, which could potentially bring competition and consumer choice to over 246,000 residents in the county, makes Florida one of Verizon's most competitive frontiers for FiOS services.
As the fiber network is built, the Sarasota franchise, combined with Verizon's franchises for Temple Terrace, Tampa, Oldsmar, Manatee County, Bradenton, Hillsborough County and Pasco County, will enable over 1.8 million residents in Verizon's Florida service territory to enjoy stepped-up competition and more consumer choice for video services in the region.
The 15-year agreement contains provisions for:
- Two public, educational and governmental (PEG) access channels now and as many as six later.
- A Community Needs Pass Through Grant in support of PEG channels, starting at 53 cents per subscriber in years one through three and
potentially increasing to as much as $1.50 per subscriber over the life
of the franchise, as determined by community need. - Cable service to over 85 schools and to certain government buildings at no cost; and other important benefits including insurance, indemnification and enforcement protections.
