Verizon, Brookhaven reach tentative deal to bring FIOS cable to town

Verizon's FIOS cable service may be coming to Brookhaven.

Town officials this week said they have a tentative deal with Verizon to provide the popular fiber-optic service following years of complaints from homeowners that they had limited cable television options.

The proposed five-year franchise agreement is subject to approval by the Brookhaven Town Board following a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 16 at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville.

Supervisor Dan Panico said Monday officials were surprised when Verizon expressed interest in the deal. Town officials had come to believe Verizon had no interest in operating in the town, he said.

“Finally, Brookhaven residents are going to have a franchise agreement and the opportunity to sign up with Verizon,” Panico said Monday at a work session of the town board. “We hope if this passes, Verizon will see significant sign-up for their services.”

FIOS is available in some parts of Brookhaven, but large swaths of the town don't have it.

Verizon said in a statement Wednesday it plans to "offer competitive cable service in areas where we currently provide our FIOS broadband product." A spokesperson said she couldn't say how much of the town is wired for FIOS, saying she was "unable to disclose that information."

Homeowners can sign up for FIOS after approvals by the town and state Public Service Commission, the company said.

Panico said Wednesday about 38% of the town is wired for FIOS cable. He said Verizon intends "to build out the rest of Brookhaven” if the company finds there is sufficient interest in new subscriptions.

Brookhaven officials held a news conference Thursday at Town Hall announcing the deal.  

Cable companies must secure franchise agreements to operate within municipalities. Brookhaven has such an agreement with Optimum. 

Verizon offers phone service in Brookhaven but had declined to build out its FIOS cable service in the town, Newsday previously reported. A company spokesman told Newsday in 2014 that Verizon planned to complete only fiber-optic buildouts in about 182 New York State communities where the company held franchise contracts but had no plans to do so in Brookhaven.

Meanwhile, Brookhaven residents called town officials demanding Verizon cable service, some believing the town was to blame, Newsday reported.

Panico said Monday the belief that Brookhaven didn't want Verizon was the town's "biggest urban legend.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth," he said, adding the town is not legally empowered to force Verizon to provide cable service, "nor would we want to stymie competition.”

Brett Houdek, president of the Medford Civic Association, said the unavailability of Verizon cable was a big issue for residents in the past but has died down in recent years, possibly because many homes have switched to streaming services. 

He said many civic members had been frustrated with limited cable television choices.

“The prices just kept creeping up and creeping up,” Houdek said Wednesday by phone. “They were locked into Optimum for the cable. They were locked into Optimum for the phone service.”

Verizon's move to enter Brookhaven comes as cable and traditional broadcast television face challenges from streaming services.

Last May, for the first time, more American viewers watched streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube than cable and broadcast combined, The Associated Press reported last year.