Verizon steps into cable fray
The battle for your telecommunications dollar is about to heat up.
Wellesley just became the 27th community in the state to license
Verizon touts higher Internet speeds, more cable channels, a larger library of movies, and better quality -- all at prices that would be competitive with the town's only other cable provider,
The companies both charge roughly $135 for a standard package of phone, Internet, and cable TV (including HBO and Starz). That's before various fees, taxes, and surcharges. Annually, that comes to more than $1,600.
The differences arise with the add-ons.
The Verizon "entry level" package offers a download speed of 5 megabytes per second, Comcast 6 megabytes per second. Comcast says its free "Powerboost" automatically kicks in during large downloads, doubling the speed.
Verizon says it can top that, though. If you're willing to pay $145 a month extra, it offers a 30 megabyte-per-second download. That means a typical movie of 1.2 gigabytes could be downloaded in about five minutes. It would take three to six times longer at the basic speeds.
For an extra $10 a month, Comcast offers its top speed of 16 megabytes per second.
If you're looking for variety in television programming, the standard Verizon package comes with 190 channels, compared with Comcast's 150.
Both companies provide basic packages that include unlimited local and long-distance calls, but Comcast throws in 12 features, including voice mail that can be accessed on the Web, caller ID, three-way calling, and anonymous call blocking. Verizon's base package offers three -- home voice mail, caller ID, and call waiting.
For an extra equipment fee, both providers offer cable boxes that allow viewers access to high-definition TV programming and digital video recording.
The companies trade claims about reliability and clarity of transmission.
Verizon transmits data via light impulses sent through optical fiber made of glass; it's all above ground. Verizon spokesman Philip G. Santoro says its system -- dubbed FiOS -- is able to carry more high-definition channels and provide more programming "on demand" than Comcast. He says users of Verizon's FiOS system do not experience the kinds of slowdowns users of other systems experience when there is a surge in the number of people online.
Comcast spokesman Marc Goodman says his company uses a hybrid fiber coaxial system -- optical fiber cable from its central distribution point, which switches over to coaxial cable only once its path nears the home.
Comcast has been serving Wellesley since 2003; Verizon only started rolling out its FiOS system in Massachusetts this year. Comcast can serve all Wellesley residents, but for now, Verizon can only connect to households with above-ground wiring, 7,000 of the town's 8,800 households.
As part of its license agreement, Verizon agreed to pay the town $500,000 over several years to support the operation of its local cable station. And like Comcast, it will pay 4.75 percent of its gross sales to the town. 