News

Selectmen OK Verizon service in Middleton

By Mike Stucka
Staff Writer
Published: November 20, 2008

MIDDLETON — Middleton selectmen approved Verizon's FiOS television and Internet service for the town on Tuesday. That clears the way for competition against Comcast, which doubled Internet speeds in the town last month.

Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said yesterday that most of the town was already wired for the fiber-optic service, and residents will be able to order within the next few months.

Comcast, which has been competing against satellite television providers in the town, said yesterday it had also just improved service in Middleton.

"As of last month, Middleton's one of the first communities in the country to benefit from the deployment of wideband technology, which doubles the speed automatically for existing customers to 12 or 16 mbps (megabits per second) and introduces two new speed choices of 50 mbps," spokesman Marc Goodman said. That's about 1,000 times faster than a modem.

Middleton is not allowed to regulate prices or packages of services. Both Verizon and Comcast are trying to bundle services together, so the same company may provide television, Internet and telephone services.

Town Administrator Ira Singer said Middleton will get 4.5 percent of gross revenues, plus a one-time payment of $60,000, an arrangement similar to that with Comcast. Singer had earlier told selectmen he expects most of Verizon's new customers will come from Comcast, bringing in little new revenue.

Singer said Verizon expects to have 70 percent of the town wired for the FiOS service by the end of the month. The company has up to four years to make the service available to every home. It also has up to four months to add the town's local-access cable channel to its offerings.

Singer said Verizon may move faster than required.