Cable wars in the Bay area

By: Alexandra Hackett

New Port Richey, Florida - Verizon crews are sprawled out across New Port Richey.

"We've done probably 1600 homes in the last month," said fiber splicer Dan Neary.

Neary is installing FiOS, the latest in fiber-optic technology. Verizon is laying the ground work inch by inch.

"We've been deploying heavily in Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties," said Verizon spokesperson Bob Elek.

Until a new law was recently passed, Elek says it was nearly impossible for cable competitors to crop up.

"By the time 2010 comes around, we will have the network in about 1.5 million households in our 6 county area," Elek said.

Verizon's infiltration ups the ante for Brighthouse Networks. It's monopolized the local market for decades.

"It's competition and competition is a good thing," said Brighthouse Networks spokesperson Joe Durkin.

Brighthouse has its own fiber optic network, Durkin said, and he believes the company’s exclusive programming and customer service will keep them in the driver’s seat.

"Our video and high speed Internet, those numbers have grown tremendously. In fact last year was our best year ever," Durkin said.

500,000 homes in our area now have access to Verizon. In the next two weeks, 17,000 homes in Northern Pinellas County will too.

Verizon is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Florida; now it’s up to consumers to decide if it’s worth every penny.

Both companies offer what they call "bundle" packages, which means if you order several services for example: high-speed Internet, cable and phone service, they will cut you a discounted deal.