Gazette mailbag: Verizon FIOS inquiry

Do you have any info on when Verizon FIOS Internet/TV will be available in Linglestown? I've heard some in Lower Paxton have it already.

Verizon is actively marketing FIOS Internet service in Lower Paxton Township, but FIOS TV service is not available yet because the company has not obtained a cable TV franchise agreement from the township. FIOS is an abbreviation for fiber-optic service.

Comcast currently is the only cable TV franchisee in Linglestown and throughout the township.

Verizon has deployed its TV service in parts of the Philadelphia region, and will soon offer service in the Pittsburgh region. No time frame has been announced for bringing FIOS TV to the Harrisburg region, according to a Verizon phone representative.

In Pennsylvania, cable TV providers must acquire a franchise agreement from a municipality prior to offering service in a town or city. This is a big stumbling block for startup operations like Verizon because the state has well over 1,500 municipalities.

Verizon is seeking a change in state law that would authorize a statewide franchise agreement. The legislation is not high on the state Legislature's to-do list this fall, and cable TV companies are lobbying against the proposal.