Verizon may update phone lines

The Baltimore County Council is considering giving Verizon Maryland Inc. permission to build fiber-optic cable lines, but expressed frustration that the company has yet to decide whether to provide county residents with cable television service.

Verizon needs access to county property in order to replace existing copper wire telephone lines with new fiber optic cable, and is willing to pay almost $2.5 million for the right to do it, county officials said. The new system will allow the company to provide new and faster telecommunication services and build on their network, said company representative Bob Olsen.