Verizon will start selling FiOS TV in New York City on Monday. The announcement will be made at a glitzy ceremony at the Grand Central Station, and will be webcast as well. NYC had granted Verizon a television franchise in May, and the franchise was confirmed by the New York Public Service Commission on July 16. The company today announced that it was getting into offering web video on its set-top boxes.
On the FiOS NYC announcement, this move should turn the heat on Time Warner Cable which is finally going to see some aggressive competition in its home market. It would need to not only increase broadband speeds, it would need to give consumer a reason to stay with them for cable TV.

Verizon is suing Time Warner over what amounts to false advertising. Misleading ads, stretching the truth or just massaging the facts — it’s a case of incumbent hilarity taken to a whole new level. An ad from Time Warner Cable suggests that Verizon FiOS is just catching up with them when it comes to the use of fiber. Notice Time Warner Cable didn’t say where the fiber was being used.
As Cynthia Brumfield points out, “Most cable systems push fiber all the way to “the pedestal,” a neighborhood node.” TWC is no different! Verizon got its knickers in a twist by suggesting that you need a satellite dish to get Verizon’s TV. Maybe they have a reason for being upset — but 80 percent of Verizon territory needs a dish to get their TV service.
Broadband Reports points out that Verizon itself isn’t immune from stretching the truth. They have been claiming that CNET called them flawless. Well not exactly, if you read this article. Oops. Verizon is sort of eating humble pie, only because they got nailed. “Time Warner’s ad focuses on pure fiction in what we assume is a lame attempt at humor,” Verizon says. Sure! Turning an article into a great reviews is re-mixing, not fiction.
My message to these incumbents: Instead of spending dollars on attorneys fighting bogus cases, spend the money to build better networks, offer us higher speeds at lower prices and oh while you’re at it, don’t try and snoop on our traffic.
