Verizon FiOS services will expand into Boston with $300M project
Expansion will go one neighborhood at a time
Verizon fiber-optic services will be expanding into the City of Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday.
During 2016, the project will begin in Dorchester, West Roxbury and the Dudley Square neighborhood of Roxbury. Next up will be Hyde Park, Mattapan, and other areas of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.
The company will invest more than $300 million in the expansion and upgrades over the next six years. Boston agreed to provide an expedited permitting process for the project.
"Boston is moving faster than our current infrastructure can support, and a modern fiber-optic communications platform will make us a next level city," Walsh said in a statement.
The next step in the process will be the city's cable television licensing process, after which Verizon expects to be able to offer its FiOS TV service in Boston, in addition to internet services.
Walsh's announcement also indicated that Verizon made a $100,000 contribution to Boston, which will be used to support a mobile hotspot lending program at the Boston Public Library. He also said the company will be involved in traffic sensor and traffic signal experiments.
Also of note, Walsh's office said Verizon will be able to attach its wireless equipment to city street lights and utility poles.
Residents of Boston neighborhoods can visit a Verizon FiOS website to request their neighborhood be moved up the company's schedule for installation.