Verizon has announced that it has filed the required regulatory documents to bring its FiOS service to New York City and will begin doing so this year. The documents were filed with the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT).

Verizon submitted the plan in response to a solicitation DoITT issued on April 11. The solicitation seeks "proposals for franchises for the provision of cable television services to be made available throughout the city." Currently, only two legacy cable TV companies operate in separate and distinct parts of the city, leaving consumers, effectively, with little or no competitive choice for their cable TV news, information and entertainment.

"This important step sets in motion the process for Verizon to offer choice and competition in the traditional monopoly cable TV market to all the residents of the five boroughs of New York City," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior VP for New York and Connecticut. "For too long, residents have been locked into one provider for their cable TV entertainment. With an award of the first-ever citywide franchise, Verizon will be able to throw open the doors to competition, providing real choice and real value."

Verizon's proposal will now be evaluated by the city and then forwarded to the city’s Franchise and Concession Review Committee for a public hearing and consideration. If the committee approves Verizon's proposal, it will be submitted to the New York Public Service Commission for confirmation, as are all cable franchises. If all approvals are achieved in a timely fashion, Verizon could begin offering service to NYC residents later this year.

"Our investment in the city is historic, which is reflected in the citywide nature of our plan," Azare said. "When our fiber deployment project is completed, it will reach to each and every borough, neighborhood, boulevard, avenue and street, without regard to the demographics of a particular area. More importantly, city residents will be able to take advantage of the power of fiber optics delivered straight to their doors."

This 12-year proposed agreement is unprecedented in scope and is designed to serve the unique needs of approximately 3.1 million households that will have access to FiOS TV, including households in multiple dwelling units.