Orange County Register

Verizon’s FiOS TV and Internet service continue to expand in Orange County but exactly where is still a mystery. People here want this alternative to cable TV so badly that they’ve chased down Verizon vans (they’ve told me). It’s been difficult to find FiOS in neighborhoods where it is allegedly present.

However, the latest report the company ran for me shows that in Orange County, 600 properties now have access to FiOS. That’s about 15,000 apartments. In Southern California, the number has increased to 2,500 properties, up from 1,700 in October.

Oddly though, Verizon won’t share which properties these are. Even with my offer of free publicity for these dwellings, the company won’t budge, saying it doesn’t have clearance to release the names. Here’s my appeal to those communities: If you offer FiOS in your rental property, tell me about it and I’ll start a list. For some renters, FiOS could be a deciding factor in whether to move in.

FiOS continues to expand nationwide. Last year, it added 1 million Internet and TV customers, with 300,000 TV customers signing up in the last quarter. The service, which offers a similar TV lineup to cable plus way- faster Internet service, now covers a swath of the United States that serves 2.5 million customers. 

Still, judging from FiOS’ own report, even this cable alternative is having a tough sell. The company has tried to sell Internet service to 10 million customers, as of December 31, 2008. Likewise, it’s been marketed to 9.2 million potential TV customers. That effort has resulted in 2.5 million FiOS Internet customers and 1.9 FiOS TV customers.

According to the last update, Verizon FiOS is available in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Garden Grove, Stanton, Seal Beach and certain unincorporated areas.

I’m continuing to track the status of Verizon FiOS and the other cable alternative AT&T U-verse. So if you haven’t already, let me know if you can get either service at your house. 

Need a customer service number? Check the Gadgetress Guide to TV services in OC. Also, here are some recent reports on U-Verse and FiOS: 

• Verizon’s FiOS expands in more Southern California cities
• A glimpse into U-verse, FiOS availability in Orange County
• Set-top boxes go green to save on energy bills
• Verizon FiOS: 100 Mbps Internet? Yes. Next year? Nope.
• AT&T U-verse raising TV prices
• AT&T U-verse adds four more O.C. cities
• FiOS TV coming to Seal Beach
• AT&T’s U-verse speeds reach 18 Mbps!
• AT&T’s U-verse TV service still targeting Irvine
• FiOS TV still growing, reaches 2.2 million customers
• UPDATED: Verizon FiOS TV heavily targeting apartments, condos in O.C. and more
• What TV service has most satisfied customers? (Hint: Not cable)
• U-Verse customers get free upgrade to sharable DVR
• FiOS Internet service at a standstill in OC

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