Mayor Walsh signs cable TV license, bringing Verizon to Boston

BOSTON - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston has issued a Final Cable Television (CATV) License to Verizon New England. The license covers three neighborhoods: Dorchester, the Dudley Square neighborhood in Roxbury and West Roxbury. The license anticipates future expansion of the service area to additional neighborhoods, with the first service area expansion expected to include Hyde Park, Mattapan, and other areas of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

"Boston will continue to grow and thrive, and Boston's residents need fast, reliable communications services built on the latest technologies," said Mayor Walsh. "I look forward to working with Verizon to bring more choice and upgraded technology to Boston's residents and businesses."

In April, the City of Boston and Verizon announced a partnership to bring a new fiber-optic network platform to Boston, replacing copper infrastructure. Since then, Verizon has been constructing their network and has already installed fiber-optic wiring necessary to offer service to 25,000 homes and businesses by year's end. The signing of the cable license clears the way for Verizon to begin selling Fios service before the end of the year.

"We are appreciative of the leadership of Mayor Walsh and his staff to quickly bring choice and competition to Boston," said Bob Mudge, executive vice president for Strategic Initiatives at Verizon. "This shows what's possible when the public and private sector are both willing to try a new approach to deploying fiber-optic technology."

The license was issued in accordance with the regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable. The City held two public hearings and solicited public input throughout the process. Video of the hearings and other documents related to the licensing process are available online.

Boston's partnership with Verizon make Boston one of the most technologically advanced cities in the country by replacing its copper-based infrastructure with a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network platform across the city. The new network will offer enormous bandwidth and speeds. Through an investment of more than $300 million from Verizon over six years, this change will bring increased competition and choice for broadband and entertainment services in Boston, and support the ongoing efforts to spur innovation and economic opportunity in all neighborhoods.