Verizon FiOS service could be an option citywide in a few months' time.
Mayor Ralph Suozzi spoke of progress in the City's talks with Verizon at the City Council's meeting Tuesday. He was responding to a resident's question about the lack of FiOS service in Glen Cove.
He said his office has been in contact with company representatives who have come to meet with him personally, and an agreement is in the works.
"I brought it to the City Council and we are pursuing a FiOS franchise agreement," said Suozzi. He said the Council has yet to discuss details of the agreement and will need to vote on it, but described the outlook as "very hopeful."
The update comes after six years of back-and-forth with Verizon, according to Suozzi. The lack of a "necessary franchise agreement" has prevented the provider from offering its fiber-optic network to city residents, Suozzi said -- even with much of the city wired for service for years.
Cablevision pays the city an annual operating fee of $100,000. Verizon will need to make an offer before the City can negotiate. It is an offer the City has been waiting six years for, Suozzi said.
A Verizon spokesperson told Patch in June that the company had build-out commitments to other communities, a process that takes time and requires the company to bring its product to new customers one municipality at a time.
The absence of a competitor has long left residents with no option other than Cablevision, and complaints of steep bills and no recourse.
News of the possible deal comes as a relief to residents like Brooke Dixon, who said his Cablevision bill doubled in the four years he's lived in Glen Cove. He's interested in lower rates and faster upload and download speeds since he works online from his home office.
"I don't care if it's Verizon's fault or the City's fault. I'm just glad it's happening," he said Wednesday.
Suozzi indicated that an agreement would be likely before summer.
"If it's going to happen, I suspect it will happen within the next two to three months," Suozzi said.
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