Verizon Fios Launches in Boston

BOSTON, MA — The City of Boston has signed onto a cable licence to Verizon New England, enabling the company's high-speed FIOS service to proceed, starting in parts of Dorchester, Roslindale and West Roxbury.

According to Mayor Marty Walsh's office, the license anticipates future expansion of the service area to additional neighborhoods, with the first service area expansion expected to include Hyde Park, Mattapan, and other areas of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

In April, the City of Boston and Verizonannounced a $300 million deal to bring the new fiber-optic network platform to Boston, replacing the city's copper infrastructure. Since then, Verizon has been constructing their network and has already installed fiber-optic wiring necessary to offer service to 25,000 homes and businesses by year's end, the city said.

In a press release, Verizon said work since that agreement was signed has entailed the installation of more than 160 miles of fiber throughout the city, including large-capacity fiber-optic "feeder" lines above and underneath city streets.

The mayor's signature Tuesday on the cable license gives Verizon the go-ahead to start selling its Fios service here before the end of the year.

It is available to order in parts of Dorchester, West Roxbury and Roslindale as of Dec. 6, and the company anticipates making Fios availalbe in Roxbury’s Dudley Square Innovation District before year’s end.

You can check availability in your neighborhood here.

Expansion will continue street-by-street in Dorchester, Roslindale, Roxbury and West Roxbury in 2017, according to Verizon.

Video of the hearings and other documents related to the licensing process are available online.

Image via Mayor's office