Verizon details Mass. broadband expansion plans

Verizon Communications Inc. announced today that it will invest $200 million in Massachusetts in 2008, applying to bring television service to 30 new eastern Massachusetts communities and DSL high-speed Internet to 23 communities in western Massachusetts.

The announcement comes in the midst of the Patrick Administration's push to expand broadband access to unserved and under-served communities, with a proposed $25 million broadband incentive fund.

State legislators from western Massachusetts praised the expansion by Verizon, which will bring service to two-thirds of the 32 towns that the state has said lack access to high-speed Internet.

"The Internet is basically the highway of the 21st century, and you can't build an economy without the ability to access the highway," said state senator Stan Rosenberg.

Verizon will also build its FiOS TV service beyond the 63 Massachusetts communities where it is available today. According to a preliminary filing with the state this year, Verizon had more than 78,000 television customers at the end of 2007.

Verizon said it will apply for licenses to offer television service in Ashland, Bellingham, Billerica, Danvers, Dover, Easton, Grafton, Hanover, Hingham, Hudson, Hull, Kingston, Lakeville, Malden, Marblehead, Mansfield, Maynard, Middleton, Milford, Millbury, North Andover, Northborough, Plymouth, Stoughton, Stow, Sutton, Taunton, Walpole, Westford, and Weston.

The company will also build DSL internet service to Becket, Blandford, Colrain, Cummington, Florida, Goshen, Hancock, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Middlefield, Monroe, Montgomery, New Ashford, New Marlborough, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Sandisfield, Tolland, Westhampton, Windsor, and Worthington.

Verizon will also add 200 customer service jobs within Massachusetts, and double the speed of its Internet offerings in two dozen communities mainly in central Massachusetts.
(By Carolyn Yoon Johnson, Globe staff)