What They're Saying

Verizon's Fiber Optic Rollout Leaves Cities Behind
Jon Chesto, Patriot Ledger

If you're wondering when your neighborhood will be graced with Verizon's new fiber-optic wiring, you might get a sense of the timing from just looking out your window.

If you happen to live in a dense city neighborhood - especially one with underground wires and multifamily homes - you probably have a long wait ahead of you before Verizon's FiOS trucks show up on your street.

Late last month, the telecom giant unveiled its FiOS plans for 2008 in Massachusetts. The company plans to add 30 communities to the list of places where it offers high-speed Internet and TV service over fiber-optic lines.

However, only two of those 30 are cities. That follows two years in which Verizon has obtained TV franchises in 66 municipalities in the state - nearly all of them suburban towns.

As Verizon expands its FiOS service from Greater Boston to smaller towns in the outer suburbs, it is largely skipping over the big cities in its path.

Sure, the company has wired Lynn and Lawrence. But residents in places like Quincy, Brockton and Boston have been left scratching their heads as their cities remain off Verizon's lists for the third straight year.

Verizon's fiber-optic lines allow it to deliver Internet connections at a much faster pace than the DSL service it offers on its on copper lines. But the real benefit to consumers is the promise of a TV competitor to Comcast, which had a monopoly in most towns in the area until those tiny FiOS wires showed up.

Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said a community's median household income plays virtually no role in the company's decisions. But he readily admitted that Verizon picks communities where it can get the fastest return on its investments. He said many cities have been left behind because of the logistical difficulties of installing new utility lines in urban areas.

Santoro said Verizon crews can install FiOS wires at a much quicker pace if the utility lines hang above the streets as opposed to beneath them. He said many underground lines can't be easily reached by manholes and require excavation work to access them.

Another reason Verizon avoided the cities, at least in the beginning, had to do with the availability of a key piece of hardware. When Verizon first began installing FiOS lines in the state, Santoro said, the converters that move data from FiOS lines into homes were only available for single-family houses. The two manufacturers of these devices began making converters for multifamily buildings last year, he said.

Santoro said Verizon expects to enter some of the bigger cities, such as Boston, and is already wiring parts of Dorchester in preparation.

Another factor that Verizon executives say is curbing the FiOS growth here is the requirement that the company negotiate for TV franchises on a town-by-town basis. This state isn't alone: Santoro said more than half of the 16 states where Verizon is rolling out FiOS service have local approval rules.

Verizon has been pushing a bill on Beacon Hill that would move the process to the state level, and shrink the approval time from as long as a year to two weeks.

Myles Calvey, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222 in Dorchester, has been unhappy with job cuts at Verizon lately. But Calvey said he still supports the company in its campaign for a streamlined permitting process, and believes the Verizon suits in New York will send more money this way after this state gets one.

But Sen. Michael Morrissey, co-chairman of the Legislature's telecom and utilities committee, is skeptical of the company's claims. The Quincy Democrat said he doesn't think Verizon has made a strong enough argument that a statewide licensing system would speed up the FiOS rollout.

Morrissey pointed to the inaction in his hometown: He said he has repeatedly pressed Verizon executives to start the franchise application process in Quincy so he can judge its efficiency firsthand. He said Verizon hasn't adequately explained to him why that hasn't happened yet.

Morrissey said he wants to see cable TV competition. But he's not convinced it's worth giving Verizon an advantage over Comcast and other incumbent providers unless Verizon is running into an unfair number of roadblocks at the municipal level.

The cable bill likely will be up for a committee vote within the next week, and Morrissey said he wants to recommend that the bill goes to what he called an active study.

Morrissey said he's willing to support a more streamlined franchise process if it becomes clear one is necessary. But he said he first wants the Legislature or state cable regulators to assess whether the town-by-town method is actually causing meaningful delays.

That means Verizon probably will need to do some waiting of its own before its bill makes it to a floor vote at the State House. At least Verizon and the city dwellers who are still looking for its cable TV service will have something in common.