Previously Published in The Messenger
By Matt Meduri
The Town of Brookhaven announced on Thursday that they are in the process of striking a deal with Verizon to bring long-awaited service to New York State’s largest municipality by area.
The agreement, if set in stone, would bring FiOS cable TV and Internet services to residents who have had no alternative besides Optimum.
While the process is in its early stages, some other hurdles would need clearing before the five-year plan would be inked.
First, the Town and Verizon must negotiate the terms of the finance agreement, which will then be brought to the Town Board via a resolution for a public hearing, which is set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at Town Hall in Farmingville.
If the Town Board votes in favor of the agreement, the agreement will then be submitted to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) for review. That timeframe, according to the Town, is expected to take anywhere from 60 to 120 days, depending on the complexity of the agreement.
The agreement would become effective and enforceable if the PSC issues a Certificate of Confirmation.
For Town officials, the groundbreaking announcement has been a years-long effort spanning three administrations in Farmingville.
“Verizon has been resistant to coming into the Town of Brookhaven for a variety of reasons, predominately the size,” said Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) at Town Hall, joined by the entire six-member Town Council. Brookhaven is the largest municipality in the entire state by total area, encompassing about 259.43 square miles of land and another 272.11 square miles of water.
“The rules, requirements, and cost to wire out a town this size was, in their [Verizon’s] view, prohibited,” said Panico. “The advent of wireless streaming services made it a bit challenging as well. However, we are on the dawn of a new day, and a day that each and every one of us here in the Town of Brookhaven has supported in a quest to have competition in the marketplace.”
Panico reiterated that the Town has “in no way ever” kept Verizon from entering the local marketplace, calling it the “biggest falsehood or urban legend” in Brookhaven.
“No one has an interest in stymying competition,” Panico added, referencing the administration of former Supervisor Mark Lesko (D-East Setauket). Lesko brought a welcome mat to the former Verizon headquarters on North Ocean Avenue, even pleading on his knees for Verizon to wire the Town and provide competition to the marketplace.
“Surprisingly, Verizon already has a substantial amount of the Town wired out and ready to go. We estimate approximately 38% of the residents in the Town of Brookhaven will be able to take advantage of this service should they deem so fit,” said Panico.
Of the PSC’s role, Panico and company are optimistic that the deal will be ratified.
“It’s a five-year agreement, and Verizon has told us that if subscribers do come online, they will commit to building out the rest of the infrastructure, and we will once and for all have competition in the marketplace,” said Panico.
Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point), the longest-served incumbent on the Town Board, said she would be “ecstatic” to be offered Verizon’s services.
“In my household, we’re not expert streamers, so we have the old triple-play package from what used to be Cablevision, and my pocketbook will appreciate having some competition,” said Bonner. “If I’m personally going to benefit from competition, then the half-a-million residents in the Town will certainly benefit.”
Bonner added that by “saving money and being able to negotiate with Altice or other providers, residents can get a better rate from the companies, making the companies work for you instead of the other way around.
“Patience is a virtue; good things come to those who wait,” said Bonner.
Councilman Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), said that the last time a cable franchise agreement had come before the town, a “contentious conversation” was had with the provider, who “felt no strong need to provide any kind of greater accountability, oversight, or customer service” due to the dearth of competition.
“I had to vote ‘no’ to that one. This one, I’ll be very happy to vote ‘yes’ to,” said Kornreich. “I do hope that this results in a lower income to the Town through franchise fees, because maybe competition will lower the cost from both providers.”
“We lament the fact that residents have only had one choice,” said Panico.
This development will only affect the options for streaming and Internet services in Brookhaven. It’s not a matter of more cell phone towers for expanded connectivity in remote areas or for public safety concerns. However, Panico added that those remain important issues to the administration.
The public hearing for the Verizon agreement is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at Town Hall, which is located at 1 Independence Hill in Farmingville.