Queens Residents Vent Concerns to Verizon Over FiOS

NEW YORK, NY (09/29/2015)(readMedia)-- Queens, New York (September 28, 2015). Queens residents turned out at CUNY School of Law on Monday night to discuss the rollout of Verizon FiOS across the borough. Co-sponsored by Senator Michael Gianaris, Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, NYC Councilmember Daniel Dromm, & NYC Councilmember Costa Constantinides, "Verizon FiOS in Queens: Public Forum to Discuss the Verizon FiOS Rollout" allowed participants to describe their considerable frustrations with their inability to access the FiOS product, which was guaranteed to all New Yorkers under a Franchise Agreement signed with New York City in 2008.

An audit by the NYC Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications this past June confirmed what residents and some businesses have experienced, that Verizon has failed to live up to its obligations under its franchise agreement. Under the agreement, a complete fiber optic buildout of the entire city was supposed to have been accomplished by November 2014.

This case has broad implications, not only for the state of telecommunications regulation in New York City and New York State, but for the ability of residents in NYC to equitably access reliable high speed internet service. Such services have become a necessity to full participation in modern society, government, and our economy. Because of this, advocacy groups Consumers Union and Common Cause/NY formed a coalition, Waiting4FiOS, and website www.waiting4fios.nyc to collect stories and launch a petition urging Verizon to complete the buildout of FiOS under the terms of its franchise agreement with NYC.

"With the ongoing rapid growth of western Queens, it is important that residents have access to the latest technological advancements like Verizon FiOS," said Senator Michael Gianaris. "I am pleased to co-sponsor this forum and address the scarcity of these services in our neighborhood."

"Common Cause/NY is dedicated to the principle of universal telecommunications service, and take consumers' rights to reliable service extremely seriously. High speed internet is no longer a luxury, but a necessity," said Josh Mumm, Outreach Manager, Common Cause/NY. "Verizon is obligated to provide FiOS to all New York City residents, and its violation of the franchise agreement is unacceptable. Many of our members complained that they have been told their neighborhoods, blocks or buildings simply aren't going to be getting FiOS and that there is nothing they can do about this. We want Verizon to fulfill its promises and obligations to New Yorkers by completing the work they are contractually obligated to perform."

An additional Community Forum will take place in Brooklyn this October. See www.waiting4fios.nyc for more details. For more information, contact Josh Mumm at jmumm@commoncause.org.