The Brookhaven Town Board has taken the next steps in a monumental deal for the township.
At their Thursday meeting, the Board unanimously approved a franchise agreement allowing Verizon to construct and operate high-speed Internet and cable television infrastructure throughout the town. The deal now goes to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) for final authorization.
For years, the Town, under different administrations, has implored Verizon to expand access across Brookhaven to break up the monopoly held by Altice/Optimum. The tentative deal with Verizon was announced two weeks ago.
“We are excited to have competition in the marketplace,” said Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) at the Thursday meeting. He added that “another provider,” in response to the tentative Verizon deal, has already put out a “plethora” of advertisements allowing customers to lock in their rates for five years.
“I would say that these are the very beginning effects of competition, which is great for the ratepayers,” said Panico.
“This is a topic we’ve encountered for many, many years,” said Deputy Supervisor and Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point). “I’m glad union work is being used for this project.”
Communication Workers of America (CWA) 1109 has been tapped to install the infrastructure, a move the Town says will “ensure professional and timely deployment.”
Additionally, Verizon has said they will offer FiOS cable TV service and donate a public access channel for use by the Brookhaven Town Public Information Office. In a statement, the Town said that Verizon will “coordinate closely with the Town to minimize disruptions during construction and to prioritize neighborhoods based on engineering readiness and community needs.”
“Just the mere existence of competition on the horizon has already sparked what I hope will be the beginning of improvement for our residents,” said Councilman Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).
Michael Gendron, Executive Board for the Suffolk Division of CWA 1109, summed up his sentiments succinctly, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”
“This is a time of miracles and we never thought we’d see this day,” said Gendron. “We finally have fair pricing and the competition that comes along with it, and CWA 1109 looks forward to getting the residents of Brookhaven hooked up to the best damn private network for their video and broadband services.”
Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville) said that while she is “thrilled” the deal has been struck, she’s found that only a small portion of her district is eligible for the product in the foreseeable future. The Sixth District contains the southeastern and far eastern portions of Town, including the Moriches and the Tri-Hamlet Peninsula.
If services are well-received by the rest of the Town’s customers, Verizon will look to expand access elsewhere.
“Whether you stay [with Optimum] or not, your bill’s only going to go one way, and that’s straight down,” said Councilman Neil Manzella (R-Selden). “When I called Optimum to cancel my services, what they offered me to stay is proof alone that this has been effective immediately.” The motion was then adopted unanimously, in what Panico called a “historic” moment for the Town.
At their Thursday meeting, the Board unanimously approved a franchise agreement allowing Verizon to construct and operate high-speed Internet and cable television infrastructure throughout the town. The deal now goes to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) for final authorization.
For years, the Town, under different administrations, has implored Verizon to expand access across Brookhaven to break up the monopoly held by Altice/Optimum. The tentative deal with Verizon was announced two weeks ago.
“We are excited to have competition in the marketplace,” said Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) at the Thursday meeting. He added that “another provider,” in response to the tentative Verizon deal, has already put out a “plethora” of advertisements allowing customers to lock in their rates for five years.
“I would say that these are the very beginning effects of competition, which is great for the ratepayers,” said Panico.
“This is a topic we’ve encountered for many, many years,” said Deputy Supervisor and Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point). “I’m glad union work is being used for this project.”
Communication Workers of America (CWA) 1109 has been tapped to install the infrastructure, a move the Town says will “ensure professional and timely deployment.”
Additionally, Verizon has said they will offer FiOS cable TV service and donate a public access channel for use by the Brookhaven Town Public Information Office. In a statement, the Town said that Verizon will “coordinate closely with the Town to minimize disruptions during construction and to prioritize neighborhoods based on engineering readiness and community needs.”
“Just the mere existence of competition on the horizon has already sparked what I hope will be the beginning of improvement for our residents,” said Councilman Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).
Michael Gendron, Executive Board for the Suffolk Division of CWA 1109, summed up his sentiments succinctly, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”
“This is a time of miracles and we never thought we’d see this day,” said Gendron. “We finally have fair pricing and the competition that comes along with it, and CWA 1109 looks forward to getting the residents of Brookhaven hooked up to the best damn private network for their video and broadband services.”
Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville) said that while she is “thrilled” the deal has been struck, she’s found that only a small portion of her district is eligible for the product in the foreseeable future. The Sixth District contains the southeastern and far eastern portions of Town, including the Moriches and the Tri-Hamlet Peninsula.
If services are well-received by the rest of the Town’s customers, Verizon will look to expand access elsewhere.
“Whether you stay [with Optimum] or not, your bill’s only going to go one way, and that’s straight down,” said Councilman Neil Manzella (R-Selden). “When I called Optimum to cancel my services, what they offered me to stay is proof alone that this has been effective immediately.” The motion was then adopted unanimously, in what Panico called a “historic” moment for the Town.
