The Hempstead, NY, Town Board last week awarded a video franchise to Verizon for its FiOS service.
The video franchise agreement is subject to the approval by the New York State Public Service Commission.
Hempstead TV viewers will join those in other New York communities, including The Long Island community of Massapequa Park and the Rockland County Villages of Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack.
Cablevision Systems, a cable television competitor, issued a statement following the announcement of the FiOS video franchise in Hempstead in which it said that “this approval demonstrates that it is not hard for the phone company to get a local franchise if it participates in the process.”
Telecommunications companies are seeking both state and federal legislation to remove the need to win local franchises to deliver IPTV services that compete with cable operators.
Separately, Verizon announced last week that it would expand its FiOS service to homes communities surrounding Portland, OR.
