With a variety of cable services available, consumers could face the difficult decision of finding the service that best fits their budget and lifestyle ? especially with new services consistently coming on the market.
To help make the decision easier, The Examiner has researched the services of two local providers, Comcast and Verizon.
Comcast serves more than 1 million customers in Maryland, and its services are available throughout the state. Verizon currently only holds a Maryland cable franchise agreement in Howard County.
“Comcast services are available to all customers today,” said Jim Gordon, a Comcast spokesman. “They offer the greatest consumer value, along with unique features and ongoing enhancements. For example, only Comcast offers more than 7,500 video-on-demand programs, with almost 95 percent free of charge.”
Thanks to its franchise agreement in Howard County, Verizon now provides services to about 11,000 residents of Clarksville, Columbia and Ellicott City. It offers FiOS TV, a fiber-optic video service that the company said is going head to head with cable television.
Verizon hopes to expand its services to other areas of the state and is currently laying fiber-optic cable in Anne Arundel, Prince George?s and Montgomery counties, though it has yet to secure cable franchises there.
It has also reached an agreement with Baltimore County officials to begin laying miles of fiber-optic cable throughout the county in the hope of an eventual franchise agreement. That deal was approved unanimously by the Baltimore County Council Monday.
“Verizon is building a revolutionary telecommunications network ? with ultra-fast, interactive Internet and video capabilities ? from the ground up,” said Sandra Arnette, a Verizon spokeswoman.
“This all-digital, fiber-optic network is providing consumers with even more reliable voice service, ultra-fast Internet services, and a new and better alternative to cable TV.”
Verizon?s Services
Through its FiOS TV services, Verizon offers three set-top boxes:
» Standard definition for $3.95 per month
» High definition, which includes HD channels, for $9.95 per month
» A dual-tuner HD-capable digital video recorder for $12.95 per month
» The company?s offerings include Basic, Expanded Basic and La Conexion, which cost $12.95, $34.95 and $27.95 per month respectively. The costs for Expanded Basic and La Conexion are based on customers signing up for the company?s FiOS Internet Service or a qualifying voice plan.
La Conexion, which is designed for consumers who want programming in both English and Spanish, is available as a stand-alone service for $32.95.
» Depending on which service customers choose, they can get between 15 and 180 channels. High-definition channels are available with the Expanded Basic and La Conexion services at no additional charge, provided that customers have an HD set-top box and an HD-ready TV.
Comcast?s Services
» Comcast offers video products from Limited Basic to Digital Cable with prices ranging from $12 per month to $64.95 per month.
» Customers can have anywhere from 20 channels to more than 250. The company?s Digital Cable, which is comparable to Verizon?s FiOS TV services, features 250-plus channels, more than 7,000 Video On Demand programs with the majority of the content offered for free, music channels, an interactive program guide and parental control features.
» The company also offers its new digital voice service and high-speed Internet services.
» For new customers, Comcast is offering its video, voice and high-speed Internet for $99, or $33 for each service, per month for 12 months when consumers subscribe to all three services.
» Existing customers with one or two services also can sign up for the services they do not have for $33 each per month for 12 months if they become three-service customers. Like Verizon, Comcast also offers DVR services, High-Definition Television and an HDTV/DVR combination.
Coverage of the changing television market is an occasional series. Look for the next story on satellite dish services in a future edition of The Examiner.
