Verizon FiOS Marches On

Verizon FiOS is a fairly new service, but it combines data, digital cable, and digital telephone service over a single high-speed fiber optic line. For those that do not follow technology closely, this means that the connection is lightning quick, power efficient, and has a long upgrade path in the future that DSL and cable services do not have. Despite having these advantages, it was recently announced that the Verizon FiOS availability map would be frozen for the foreseeable future.

Many questioned this official announcement from Verizon's own PR team and a few of their executives, especially since it did not seem to make sense. After all, who would want to limit their network operations when the entire country seems to be clamoring for faster and/or better digital communication and/or entertainment services? For a while, it seemed that the answer to that question was Verizon. Thankfully, that looks to have changed, and there are a few possible reasons for this:

• Google's fiber optic plan has raised serious interest and awareness in fiber optics. Consumers do not need to wait for gigabit class speeds as FiOS engineers have already demonstrated real-world performance in the ~925 Mbps range.
• The federal government has offered many stimulus packages to carriers that expand their broadband offerings to new markets and/or meet certain performance benchmarks. Verizon FiOS is already more than capable of meeting the benchmarks set for DSL and cable in the year 2020, so it could be that Verizon FiOS received some financial motivation to expand.
• Stock holders may also have played a role in Verizon's decision to expand the official Verizon FiOS availability map to new areas. With a proven track record, it seems ridiculous to allow a company to rest on their laurels and allow the competition breathing room.

Make sure to constantly check the Verizon FiOS availability map in order to know if your property is eligible for the most popular fiber optic connection in the country!

Charles is an avid technology enthusiast who cannot decide whether he likes broadband or digital cable more. Either way, feel free to follow Charles at http://www.fiberforall.org.