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Hang-ups remain for Verizon in Northport

BY TIM HEALY | tim.healy@newsday.com

8:08 AM EST, February 11, 2008

The village board hears presentation from Rich Hillstrom, a Verizon franchise manager, right, and Nia McDonald, a company attorney. (Newsday Photo)

Representatives from Verizon visited Northport Thursday night to update the Village Board on the company's efforts to offer television service to residents.

Verizon has been installing a fiber optic network in the village and currently offers telephone and Internet service but has not reached an agreement with the village to complete the "triple play" with a television franchise.

Franchise talks between the utility and the village have made some progress, according to James Matthews, the village attorney, but sticking points remain. Village officials are concerned about the installation schedule and how long it will take for all residents to be offered the service. To date, the utility has said it would take no longer than five years to get to everyone, although it would try to do so sooner.

"I would not vote for the franchise until I see which properties are not going to receive service," initially, trustee Henry Tobin to the Verizon representatives.

Also among the issues pending is the size of a grant that Verizon would pay to the village to cover the cost of public access, educational and government programming. Known as a PEG grant, Verizon has offered $5,000, but trustee Thomas Kehoe wants the utility to match an additional $25,000 over three years that Verizon gave to the village of Farmingdale in a franchise agreement there.

Rich Hillstrom, a Verizon franchise manager, explained to the board that the utility was seeking "a level playing field" in its competition with Cablevision, which complicated talks over a franchise. He said he was looking forward to the next negotiating session.

Verizon was asked to explain why they were already providing fiber optic, or FIOS, service to 14 residents living along the village border. They were hooked up in error, the utility said, and are not now being charged for the service.

In an unrelated action, the board approved $9,750 to reconstruct the band shell. Work is expected to be finished before the concert season begins.