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Reasons why you can’t order Verizon FiOS TV

April 5th, 2010, 11:36 am by

Last week, Verizon gave Orange County the most detailed information to date on where its elusive FiOS TV and Internet is offered.

The company listed 19 zip codes in area cities that may qualify for the fiber-optic services that boasts Internet speeds of 50 megabits per second and a slate of the most HD channels nationwide. But as I mentioned in the original post, this doesn’t mean that EVERYONE who lives in those zip codes can order FiOS TV and Internet service. Jon Davies, with Verizon, offered the zip codes to help readers, not frustrate them.

“I was hoping it would help readers get a better sense of where we are — I didn’t mean to cause frustration! But, as you know, the biggest challenge we’ve always had with FiOS is making it available to everyone who wants it,” Davies said.

So, to help clarify availability in those zip codes, I’m listing reasons why you may not be able to order FiOS for your home.

1.  You live on the wrong side of the zip code. Zip codes don’t conform to the boundaries of Verizon’s footprint so some customers in these areas may be AT&T customers. Verizon is targeting its existing wired telephone base first before it expands outside its territory. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • | 20 Comments »

Verizon FiOS plans 3-D TV broadcasts by 2010 holiday

April 2nd, 2010, 10:42 am by

It’s been a big week for 3-D TV news, as DirecTV gave the new ESPN 3-D channel a June launch date while several cable providers said they will air the upcoming Masters Tournament in 3-D (Time Warner Cable is joining the effort too, announcement is coming).

Today, Verizon chimes in. The company however, isn’t joining the 3-D trend just yet. It’s too early, says Shawn Strickland, vice president of FiOS product management for Verizon.

Currently, consumers need a 3-D HDTV and special glasses to view 3-D broadcasts. But beyond a handful of Blu-ray Disc movies, there is very little 3-D content available.

“The market for 3-D TV is very, very early in its development. We’re monitoring the early sales of 3-D TVs with interest and expect to announce a 3-D offering well in advance of the holiday TV shopping season, when 3-D television sales will expand,” Strickland said.

But don’t count out Verizon. Strickland goes on to say that its FiOS TV service has become the leader in HD channels and offers the most to consumers who can order the TV service. “Ultimately we expect to provide the same industry leadership with 3-D,” he added.

So, it sounds like Verizon FiOS will offer 3-D broadcasts before the end of the year.  And not just one channel but “our commitment will be to bring the broadest range of 3-D programming,” Strickland said. He adds that Verizon is actively negotiating with “a number of companies in the emerging 3-D value chain.”

Now if only more consumers could order FiOS…

More on 3-D TVs and 3-D viewing:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • | 1 Comment »

Verizon reveals where FiOS really is in Orange County (Drumroll please…)

April 1st, 2010, 2:30 pm by

This is not an April Fool’s Day joke. After pestering Verizon for months, I finally got more details today about the availability of Verizon’s FiOS TV and Internet service in Orange County. Apparently, 70,000 households and businesses here can order the alternative TV service powered by fiber-optic lines.

The company offered a zipcode breakdown, which doesn’t necessarily mean you can order service if you live in that zip code. Apartment or condo dwellers need permission from the landlords or homeowner associations before FiOS can offer service.

So, where is Verizon FiOS in Orange County? Drumroll please… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • | 50 Comments »

Verizon FiOS ‘on track’ even as many wonder when can they order it

March 17th, 2010, 8:28 am by

We here in Orange County were one of the first in the country to get Verizon FiOS TV and Internet service. It excited many readers who looked forward to 50 mbps Internet service and an alternative to cable TV. Then last year, we found out that the company stopped expanding to new areas locally in order to concentrate on where it already built the infrastructure (read: “Verizon’s FiOS TV rollout slows in So Cal“).

Now it looks like the same is true in East Coast cities of New York and Philadelphia, where Verizon made a big push for FiOS after jilting us here in O.C. Bill Kula, part of Verizon’s media relations group, wrote in the company’s At Home blog that Verizon is focusing on “increasing FiOS availability in those areas where we already have video franchises in place.”

Some interpret this to mean that if you don’t live in an existing FiOS-friendly neighborhood, it’s not coming anytime soon. It’s difficult not to make that assumption especially if you’ve been checking the FiOS availability site for the last couple of years only to get the same “Not available, but we do have DSL…”

Still, Verizon is sticking to the interpretation that FiOS hasn’t slowed down. In fact, Verizon is right where it had expected to be. Kula emphasizes that the company is on track to meet its goal of reaching 18 million premises by the end of 2010.

“At the end of the last quarter, we had 3.4 million FiOS Internet customers and 2.9 million FiOS TV customers. That’s a national penetration rate of 28 percent for FiOS Internet and 25 percent for FiOS TV – a very healthy growth clip for a service that we began selling from scratch nearly five years ago. That makes us the 8th largest among cable and satellite providers, some of whom have been in the business for decades,” Kula writes.

A reminder: When FiOS does enter a new neighborhood and starts selling TV door to door, the local cable TV company does the same, matching or beating FiOS rates. And we know FiOS isn’t cheap. Verizon, apparently, isn’t getting the kind of reception it had anticipated as it discovers that potential customers just signed long-term contracts with their existing TV service.

But those contracts, especially in Orange County, are approaching the 2-year mark so Verizon is going after those customers again. We saw some evidence that FiOS really is still expanding when the company announced earlier this month that FiOS added 166,000 new households in California last year (read: Verizon says FiOS now available to 1.2 million in SoCal).

I’m awaiting the latest word from my Verizon sources on more specific availability here in Orange County. Perhaps now that Verizon is no longer concerned about applying for new video franchises on the East Coast, it can finish what it started here. In Orange County, FiOS is available in some parts of Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster and certain unincorporated areas.

More on FiOS:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Verizon says FiOS now available to 1.2 million in SoCal

March 5th, 2010, 4:18 pm by

If it feels like Verizon has been taking its sweet old time to offer its fast and comprehensive FiOS TV service in Orange County, here’s a bit of an update. The company offered a progress report for Southern California.

Approximately $682 million of Verizon’s $1.2 billion investment in California last year went to wired services like FiOS TV and Internet. That helped add another 166,000 households and expanded FiOS’ reach to 1.15 million premises in 85 cities in Southern California.

Broken down further, FiOS is available to 1 million single-family homes, 90,000 apartments and condos, and 46,000 businesses in SoCal.

FiOS has been hotly anticipated by many ever since it launched in Orange County in May 2007. It offered residents an alternative to the local cable service and promised faster Internet speeds — up to 50 mbps — and more TV channels. FiOS currently offers the most HD channels in Orange County, at nearly 140.

I’m waiting to hear back from Verizon about whether the FiOS service has expanded to any new Orange County cities, but last I heard a few months ago, Verizon continues to focus on existing neighborhoods instead of new territories. There’s a greater chance you can order FiOS in Orange County if you live in cities: Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton and Westminster. But keep in mind, not even everyone in those cities can order the service.

The wired investment budget also went toward its non-FiOS Internet service, or DSL Internet that Verizon calls High Speed Internet because of its speeds up to 7.1 mbps. Huntington Beach was one of 15 cities — and the only one in Orange County — that received the extra Internet attention.

The company also mentions a whole bunch of discounts it’s offering mostly to new customers, including a free wireless router for new FiOS triple-play customers, a $20 monthly discount for ordering online and committing to 24 months, and $150 cash cards for new customers who order High Speed Internet along with another Verizon service. Read the press release HERE.

Recent Verizon FiOS news:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • | 18 Comments »

Time Warner toys with raising Internet prices

March 2nd, 2010, 1:40 pm by

Spotted: Dow Jones news services picked up on an interesting sentence muttered by Time Warner Cable’s chief operating officer Landel Hobbes during an investor conference on Monday: Broadband Internet has replaced cable TV as the company’s “anchor product” so if TV service continues to slow, Time Warner can just raise Internet prices.

Reporter Nat Worden writes just a few paragraphs, enough to give us a glimpse into the future of cable bills.

“Consumers like it so much that we have the ability to increase pricing around high-speed data,” Hobbes said.

** Webcast: Listen to what Hobbes said **

While that’s discouraging news for anyone on a budget, it makes financial sense for Time Warner especially as more consumers cut cable and instead watch TV shows online for free. But this still means you need a fast Internet connection.

I listened to what Hobbes said and he went on to talk about what customers can expect from Time Warner this year: Access to TV shows online via “TV Everywhere,” and the long-rumored multi-room DVRs and features like “Start Over” and “Look Back” to allow viewers to watch TV shows they missed or forgot to record.

Hobbes also said DOCSIS 3.0, which offers faster Internet speeds of 50 down and 5 up, will be coming to more cities this year, possibly targeting markets where Verizon FiOS also offers fast service. Time Warner launched its faster Internet for around $99 in New York City, where it goes head to head with FiOS and is rumored to be targeting Texas, Ohio and upstate New York next.

That gives us hope here in Orange County for those wanting faster service and are willing to pay for it but can’t order FiOS. Faster Internet is apparently what the bulk of new Time Warner customers want. During the investor conference, Hobbes said that 70 percent of new customers opt for Turbo Internet speeds, currently at 15 mbps downstream and 2 mbps up. Comparably, FiOS offers up to 50 mbps down and 35 mbps up. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

New soccer channel debuts on Dish, DirecTV and FiOS

March 1st, 2010, 11:12 am by

Noted: If you love soccer, a new channel is coming your way. Fox Soccer Plus debuts today on several TV services. But it may not come cheap. See below for details.

The new channel is part of Fox Soccer channel and replaces the Setanta Sports, which called it quits in the United States yesterday, Feb. 28. The TV network continues to broadcast overseas. Here in the states, Setanta gave up its programming rights to several soccer and rugby events.

The new Fox channel features at least 600 exclusive matches, including the Carling Cup, England’s FA Cup and the Coco-Cola Championship. It will also include some rugby matches.

If you’re a fan, the services below are offering the channel or will soon:

Dish Network: Channel 406, available for $14.99 a month. Details

DirecTV: Fox Soccer Plus replaces Setanta Sports for existing customers at no extra cost. It’s $14.99 per month.  Details

Verizon FiOS: Automatically switches Setanta Sports customers to new channel, airing on 1009. Also $14.99 per month. Details

Time Warner Cable: Coming soon, according to a USA Today story.

Recent sports TV news:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

2 Verizon phones can now turn on the TV

February 18th, 2010, 10:06 pm by

Noted: Verizon Wireless said today it has switched on a feature that turns certain phones into TV remotes.

What you need: Verizon-serviced Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio phone and Verizon FiOS TV service. Using the new Mobile Remote function, the phones can control the FiOS set-top box. All the same functions will be available, including changing channels, pause and rewind and managing parental controls.

The new remote-control feature also allows users to transfer a photo on the phone to TV, or even beam a whole slideshow to the big screen.

And, of course, the phones still are phones. If you get a phone call, the phone mutes the TV.

If you’ve got a compatible phone — and Verizon said that more phones will be added in the future — you set up the “Mobile Remote” on the phone via an app, pair the phone with your home’s Wi-Fi network and then finish up using the Mobile Remote widget on the TV. More details are at Verizon’s site HERE, which includes a video overview.

Recent Verizon FiOS news:

Posted in: Cell phones • Video & TV • • • • • • • • | Comments Off

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