LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By now almost everyone knows Verizon FiOS is coming to town. Its been in the local media and you've probably received a solicitation in the mail. Don't be so fast to jump on the bandwagon. At this time, fiber cables are being run and connected in La Plata. The service at the time this was written was not available yet.
However, I did take the time to call Verizon and find out exactly what they were offering at the very tempting price of $99 a month for twelve months. It took about 5 minutes of being bounced from different departments to get the right one. Once there, the agent gave me the information I wanted.
By the end of the conversation the $99 introductory offer was now $140 not including taxes and all the associated usage fees. All the $99 offer provided was basic cable, internet, and phone services. The extra $40 came when I asked about digital converter boxes and an HD DVR. No movie channels were included.
The Verizon price came out to slightly more than what my monthly Comcast bill is right now for 2 converters and an HD DVR. I am presently a Comcast "Triple Play" customer (Digital Phone, TV and Internet.)
So, if you are in an area where you already have Comcast, I would stay with it. They have recently upgraded their network to increase the speed capacity on the internet. If you live in an area not covered by Comcast, and Verizon FiOS is available, then get FiOS.
M. Brettler
La Plata
Editor's Note: In all fairness to Verizon, FiOS is fiber optic-based with download speeds up to 50 Mbps and upload speeds up to 20 Mbps. Current cable technology can not touch this, especially the upload speed. While some people may not need or want performance like this, I am almost tempted to move to La Plata.