The city of New York has reached an agreement with Verizon regarding a lawsuit launched in 2017 against the operator for failing to deliver on its promise to bring fibre broadband to the whole city. The fibre pledge was part of a franchise agreement signed by Verizon with the city in 2008. During an audit conducted in 2017, the city found that over 40,000 requests for service were still pending, most of which had been outstanding for 12 months or longer. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Verizon has now committed to building out its FiOS footprint to 500,000 more households. Under the settlement, Verizon will prioritise the least-connected Community Districts and ensure connectivity for every New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residential building. The aim is to address disparities faced by low-income and NYCHA families across the city. The goal has become only more urgent amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. 

The statement of the mayor noted that Verizon’s failure to bring fibre to the entire city meant some communities were still only served by one cable and broadband provider. The settlement will consequently help these communities as well as  families with low median household incomes, with often little access to affordable broadband. 

The city said broadband connections will be brought to a number of neighbourhoods, including Bronx 2 (Hunts Point, Inwood); Bronx 5 (Fordham/Morris Heights, Mount Hope, University Heights); Brooklyn 16 (Brownsville, Ocean Hill); Bronx 7 (Bedford Park, Fordham, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Norwood, University Heights); Manhattan 9 (Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights); Brooklyn 12 (Borough Park, Kensington, Ocean Parkway, Midwood); Manhattan 3 (Alphabet City, the East Village, the Lower East Side, Two Bridges, Chinatown); Brooklyn 9 (Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Wingate); Manhattan 12 (Inwood, Washington Heights); Brooklyn 4 (Bushwick); and Queens 12 (South Jamaica). 

At a minimum, Verizon will make connections available to 125,000 additional households in these community districts, which means that if a resident requests a paid FiOS service, Verizon will be required to make it available within seven days. 

The terms of the settlement also call for Verizon to give quarterly reports on its progress. Meanwhile, the city will make public the list of newly eligible households that were previously ineligible for FiOS or broadband service.