Verizon ponders FiOS expansion in Texas

The Texas cable-franchising bill enacted today will speed up Verizon’s rollout of video services on its FiOS fiber to the premises network, and could prompt further fiber buildouts in that state, according to company officials.

But Verizon is still not saying when it will offer video over existing FiOS networks, nor what the service will cost. Texas Gov. Rick Perry today signed into law the measure which greatly streamlines the video franchising process – a process that had been locally controlled to this point. The bill takes effect today.

”The Texas bill will serve as a catalyst for more investment in that state,” said a Verizon spokesman. “We will more quickly introduce FiOS TV in the North Texas markets where we have built out our networks and we are looking and planning where we might deploy fiber networks in Texas, above and beyond what we’ve already done.”

About two dozen North Texas communities are part of the FiOS build-out, in varying stages, with Keller, Texas, the first community to be built, now looming as the first spot where FiOS video will be offered.

“We are still conducting our trials in Keller,” the spokesman said. “We recently added some non-employees to the trial. This is not time that we’re wasting – we’re learning a lot from this trial.”

In the other Texas communities where FiOS is being deployed, residents should not expect FiOS TV in the early stages of the buildout, he added.

Verizon and its fellow telecom providers are hoping the Texas cable franchising law becomes a national model. There are also provisions in the federal telecom reform legislation, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) that would eliminate local franchising provisions. With current issues including hurricane relief and Supreme Court nominations mounting, however, it is now unclear if telecom reform will make it to the Congressional priority list this year.