Prince William County residents soon might have another choice for cable television.
The county has been working with Verizon to start a franchise that will be available to all county residents within seven years, according to the agreement.
The county predominately is served by Comcast and Gatehouse cable companies or DirecTV and DISH satellite networks.
Verizon will begin building its fiber-optic network for telephone, computer and cable service in the Triangle, Dumfries and Dale City areas this fall, said Dick Beville, Verizon business negotiator. Residents in the east end should have the option for full service by the end of the year, Beville said.
A plan for the remainder of the county has yet to be finalized.
The pending franchise agreement between the county and Verizon is better than what is required under the new state cable competition law that was recently signed by Gov. Tim Kaine and will become effective July 1, said county spokeswoman Liz Bahrns.
Under state law, Verizon must be available to 70 percent of residents and contribute to the funding for county television stations, such as the schools’ channel, Bahrns said.
The county’s agreement would serve all Prince William County residents, except for a few very remote locations, and establish a flat rate for all Verizon customers, she said. Verizon will contribute more money toward county stations than is required by the state and help set up an internal county television station.
And the bottom line? Said Sean Connaughton, Prince William County Board of Supervisors chair, “I do think that competition will have some impact [on prices.]”
A public hearing is expected to be held May 16. The supervisors will vote on the franchise agreement in June.
PRICE CHECK
Verizon says it will offer the following package to Prince William County customers:
» Phone: $34
» Computer/Data: $34
» Cable: $34
