Marblehead Selectmen approve Verizon cable for 10-year provider license

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead cable customers will soon have two choices: Comcast or Verizon.Selectmen voted to approve a 10-year cable provider license for Verizon New England Inc. Wednesday evening, making Verizon the town’s second cable TV company.The Cable TV Oversight Committee recommended granting the license, which committee members and Attorney William August, the assistant town counsel for cable TV, have been negotiating for months.”Competition is what people have wanted all these years,” August said, noting that for the first year Verizon will actually pay the town slightly higher revenues than Comcast does – after that Verizon will match Comcast.August cautioned potential Verizon suppliers that the company’s connection to the local access studio may not be ready for another six months.Verizon Vice President Peter Bowman said Verizon expects to offer service to 60 percent of Marblehead by the end of the year and 100 percent of the town 12 months from now.Selectman Judy Jacobi noted that the license gives Verizon four years to offer service to the entire town. Verizon executive Matt Kirby assured her that that was a worst case figure. “We want to do that as fast as we can so we can bring in money,” he said.The only criticism of the proposal came from local resident Tanya DeGenova, who questioned Verizon’s company-wide refusal to offer a discount to senior citizens. “We have a very large number of senior citizens,” she said.Selectmen approved the license unanimously, 4-0, with Selectmen Jacobi, Jackie Belf-Becker, Henry Christensen and James Nye in favor and Selectman William Woodfin absent.