After those neighborhoods are serviced, expansion will then continue into Hyde Park, Mattapan and other areas in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. Verizon’s fiber optic roll out to the entire city of Boston will replace copper lines that are in use now.
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Boston officials hailed the Fios deal, noting that about 90% of the city’s population has only one option for high- speed Internet, primarily from cable giant Comcast Corp.
Verizon has not announced pricing tiers for Boston, but the company has previously offered Fios in other cities for $69.99 per month for a 100Mbps broadband, telephone and TV bundle. “We are delivering the promise of the digital world to families, schools and medical facilities, businesses and entrepreneurs, while strengthening our neighborhoods and communities”. In addition the provider plans to deploy wireless equipment to city street lights and utility poles, enabling better mobile broadband for residents.
“Boston is moving faster than our current infrastructure can support, and a modern fiber-optic communications platform will make us a next-level city” Mayor Martin J. Walsh said. The partnership with the city will also increase wireless capacity and lay the groundwork for future technology upgrades, such as 5G wireless connections, he said.
Verizon said in its FAQ sheet that some homes and buildings in Boston may not be able to connect to FiOS due to “permission or access restrictions, extensive costs that make the build financially impractical, or buildings that are locked into long-term contracts with cable companies”.
The construction of the Fios fiber-optic network was first commenced by Verizon almost a decade back; and the carrier has, thus far, spent more than $23 billion on offering the network in millions of households in over 12 states.
In a statement, the city said it has agreed to expedite the permitting process for Verizon.
Walsh’s announcement also indicated that Verizon made a $100,000 contribution to Boston, which will be used to support a mobile hotspot lending program at the Boston Public Library. More info to come.
The high speed Internet and cable television service has long-been available in many other MA communities. Builds will take place in zones that are economically and demographically diverse, the city said.
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Smart city elements will be added as well, including a trial project to reduce traffic congestion along Massachusetts Avenue. The city and Verizon will experiment with sensors and advanced traffic signal control technology to increase safety, measure bicycle traffic, improve public transit vehicle flow, and decrease congestion. Residents and businesses should visit verizon.com/BostonFiber to register and cast their vote, beginning with the Dorchester, West Roxbury and Dudley Square area neighborhoods.
