FiOS TV gains Texas momentum

Verizon today is rolling out its FiOS TV service to portions of six Texas communities, in its first use of that state’s new video franchise law.

The company will deliver its 300+ channels of digital cable and IP-based video on demand and information services to residents of northern Carrollton, eastern Coppell, central Flower Mound, northern Fort Worth nearest Keller, northern Irving and central Lewisville, all suburbs of Dallas-Ft. Worth. It will make the service available to all residents of those communities, as it completes the FiOS fiber-to-the-premises network buildout, the company said.

Verizon has already rolled out FiOS TV in Keller, Texas, as well as in Hampton Roads, Va., and Temple Terrace, Fla. The company is actively pursuing video franchises in 200 communities out of the 750 areas in which it is building FiOS networks, officials said last week.

In addition, Verizon is lobbying at the federal level for a national franchise authority, and in some states, including New Jersey, where it hopes to seek Texas-like statewide franchises established.

The company said it will introduce FiOS TV in 2006 to Texas customers in Allen, Colleyville, Denton, Double Oak, Garland, Grapevine, Hebron, Highland Village, Lucas, Murphy, Parker, Plano, Rowlett, Sachse, Southlake, St. Paul, Westlake and Wylie. Verizon expects to pass nearly 400,000 North Texas households, reaching one million potential viewers by the end of 2006.

FiOS TV combines traditional radio-frequency cable with IP-based TV. It offers 300+ digital cable channels plus 22 HDTV channels, more than 1800 IP-based video-on-demand channels and a Spanish language package that includes 30 channels in that language.