Verizon this week told New York City's Franchise and Concession Review Commission there would "be no discrimination" on the company's FiOS buildout and availability, saying deployment already had started throughout the city. And, as a perk to the city, Verizon guaranteed at least 50 public, educational and government access channels.
The city, meanwhile, wants to impose penalties if Verizon misses its buildout schedule.
Verizon is investing $18 billion on network improvements that will allow it to connect customers to FiOS and to battle incumbents Cablevision and Time Warner.
Verizon last month agreed with a city proposal that the telco make FiOS available in more than half the city by the end of 2010 and throughout the city in six years. Verizon says it wants to start an aggressive rollout by the end of the summer. This week's hearing was the first of two public hearings mandated by the FCRC.
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