CWA Says Residents of Bronx's Co-Op City Want Fios; Verizon Cites Cable Deal
Most Co-Op City residents want Verizon to offer Fios in their housing development in Bronx, New York, the Communications Workers of America said in an emailed release Friday. The CWA said a poll showed 72 percent of Co-Op City residents…
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"would definitely sign up or consider signing up" for Fios if it were available. Despite the consumer demand for Fios, Verizon refuses to comply with its franchise obligations in many areas of New York City, CWA said. "Verizon needs to stop hiding behind silly excuses and offer the Internet and television service they promised when they got an agreement with the City,” said Dennis Trainor, vice president of CWA District 1. “New Yorkers are clamoring for FiOS, but Verizon would rather focus on its wireless network.” CWA said a "damning" June audit from the city "found that Verizon has failed to meet the terms of its franchise agreement, which required the FiOS network to be available to any household that requests service by June 2014" (see 1506190049). Verizon said Co-Op City has an "exclusive marketing agreement" with the cable incumbent in the Bronx. “Despite our attempts to work with the Co-op City board to install Fios there, they recently granted the incumbent provider a ten-year extension of that exclusive marketing agreement," a Verizon spokesman emailed us. "We remain open to talking with them in the future to work something out. If they really want choice and competition for their residents, why did they extend their exclusive marketing agreement another ten years?” Verizon and CWA are locked in a labor contract dispute.