Verizon Cable TV Getting Turned On

Verizon has entered the cable TV game today, providing an alternative to Time Warner and Cablevision in select neighborhoods. For $94.99, the current promotional deal for FiOS includes unlimited local and long-distance phone service, an Internet connection of 20 megabits per second and a television package that includes 100 high-definition channels. But according to the Times, the company’s expansion could be hindered by some 65,000 Verizon workers who are threatening to strike for higher wages, caps on health care payments and limits on outsourcing jobs.

Verizon has announced that commuters passing through Grand Central today will be greeted by "scores of Verizon employees, outfitted in Verizon FiOS TV gear." They'll be clustered at the Vanderbilt Avenue (at 43rd Street) entrance to schedule installation appointments for FiOS. Bonus points to the first person to send in a photo of an employee decked out in a "FiOS TV gear" ensemble! And after the jump is a list of NYC neighborhoods where FiOS TV is available.

The Bronx
Baychester, Bronxdale, Eastchester, Edenwald, Laconia, Norwood, Olinville, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn
Brooklyn
Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gravesend, Homecrest, Madison, Manhattan Terrace, Marine Park, Midwood, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Paerdegat Basin

Manhattan
Battery Park City, Carnegie Hill, Chelsea, Chinatown, Clinton, East Harlem North, East Harlem South, East Village, Flatiron, Hudson Yards, Lenox Hill, Lower East Side, Midtown, Midtown South, NoHo, Union Square, Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island, West Village, Yorkville

Queens
Auburndale, Bayside, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Beechurst, Cambria Heights, Clearview, Douglaston, Douglaston Manor, Far Rockaway, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Laurelton, Little Neck, Malba, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens, Rosedale, South Brookville, Springfield Gardens, Whitestone

Staten Island
Annadale, Arden Heights, Arlington, Arrochar, Bloomfield, Charleston, Clifton, Dongan Hills, Eltingville, Emerson Hill, Fort Wadsworth, Fox Hills, Granitville, Grasmere, Great Kills, Grymes Hill, Heartland Village, Huguenot, Lighthouse Hill, Mariners Harbor, Midland Beach, New Brighton, New Dorp, New Springville, Oakwood, Oakwood Beach, Old Town, Pt. Ivory, Prince's Bay, Port Richmond, Richmond Valley, Rosebank, Rossville, St. George, Silver Lake, South Beach, Stapleton, Todt Hill, Tottenville, Travis, Westerleigh, West New Brighton, Woodrow

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on July 28, 2008 11:11 AM

Comments [rss]

Chris Tucker GOP Delenda Est!

cwbuecheler, my friend who lives on St. Mark's Ave could tell you stories about TW that would bring tears to your eyes.

Really, some of their technicians are absolutely clueless.

Chris Tucker GOP Delenda Est!

RE: DSL customer support.

Here in Boston (and waiting for FiOS so I can tell Comcast to bugger off!) the DSL support has been first rate.

Save for a problem a few years ago with their hardware in the local switching office about a mile away, with a server that was slowly dieing, I haven't had any real problems with my service that turning the DSL modem/router off and on again didn't fix.

I've a friend in Highbridge that is holding off buying a new TV until the digital switchover for broadcast, and is NOT getting anything other than FiOS service. Too many horror stories about the local cable service.

You know, when someone in Boston knows how seriously screwed NYC cable TV is, you know it's got to be horrible.

cucarachita

Verizon is evil.

WorksInDUMBO

Ah, so THIS is why Time-Warner was so insistent about getting us to sign a 2-year agreement for their phone/Internet/cable "triple play" bullshit... now we are locked in and can't switch to Fios without a huge penalty! jerks.

Splicer

Well, I live in Oakland Gardens, Queens - I keep being told it is not available.

JMH

Completely agree with everything cwbuecheler just said. TW's cable boxes are crap.

cwbuecheler

Time Warner's HD lineup is indeed atrocious, even after they upgraded it last month. Also, the DVRs they use in Brooklyn (which are for some reason different than the Manhattan DVRs) are atrocious: the UI is written in java and stores a lot of data server-side, so everything you do is SLOW AS HELL.

Soon as a viable alternative comes to Park Slope, I'll be switching. Time Warner's cable sucks.

nuyorican

If only they had NY1

misa

Most of the neighborhoods listed outside of SI are only in a few select buildings. They are nowhere near covering entire neighborhoods. I've been waiting for them to wire up FIOS internet for years now. I don't even care about the tv service anymore.

SP

I fucking HATE Time Warner as well, and I am super pissed off that FiOS hasn't made it to the Upper West Side yet. What the hell? Why the UES and not the UWS? I'm calling them to complain right now.

jackdonaghy

It's not available in the upper west Side? We read old books and the NY Times, but we also watch (and need) good cable television too.

BTW, it's joke that Time Warner only has about 20-25 HD channels (in Manhattan, at least) right now. It's 2008!!!

rodney

FiOS is also in LIC (the new buildings at least). Also, to w0wzers, I have FiOS phone and internets already and they have an entirely separate tech support team for FiOS, with dedicated FiOS only call centers in Freehold, NJ and Syracuse, NY. It is light years ahead of the Verizon DSL support which itself is superior to TWC's customer service nightmare.

w0wzers

Once It hits greenpoint i'll give it a try. If the tech support is anything like the DSL tech support, I'm going to have to write a strongly worded letter, and shake my fist.

Kojak

"Verizon Cable TV Getting Turned On"

So Am I. ;-)

babyhitler

WTF? No Tribeca? No Park Slope? GODDAMN! how the fuck is this possible? I fucking hate Time Warner! Still gotta wait.

Tgirl

why why why did I ever buy TW stock?

robingee

I'm getting this Tuesday. We'll see how it goes! It can't be worse than Direct TV.

smokedgouda

This is great news. There is nothing more maddening than watching Time Warner and Cablevision protect their monopolies at my expense. If they offer home phone/internet and 100 channels of HD programming for $100 - SIGN ME UP!