Residents will have a choice between providers when it comes to cable television. Last Wednesday, the Village of Mineola Board of Trustees voted unanimously to grant a cable television franchise agreement to Verizon. Cablevision, which has long been the sole provider of television in the village, will now have competition from Verizon for television subscriptions from residents and businesses.

Mineola is the seventh Long Island community - and the 11th in the state - to grant Verizon a cable franchise, following the communities of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay. The Rockland County villages of Grandview-on-Hudson, Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack have also granted Verizon cable franchises.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreement between Mineola and Verizon is subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission. If approved, as expected, residents can begin receiving the service possibly as early as October.

"This is great news for the residents of Mineola, who now have more choice for their video entertainment," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut. "We applaud Mayor Jack Martins and the Village Trustees for helping to bring choice and control to their residents.

As part of the franchise agreement, Verizon will pay the village a public, educational and governmental (PEG) grant of $85,000, which shall be payable within 30 days of the effective date of the agreement. Verizon will also pay the village $15,000 in grant money for each of the first three anniversaries of the date of the agreement for a total of another $45,000. This grant money, according to the franchise agreement, shall be used for such costs as those associated with studio facilities, studio and portable production equipment, editing equipment, program playback equipment and other costs in televising public, educational and governmental programming.

Verizon also agreed to pay the village 5 percent of its annual gross revenue in the village as a franchise fee. The service will be available to all residential dwelling units and businesses within the service area.

William Powers, Director of Media Relations for Cablevision Systems Corporation stated, "Verizon will be the fourth entrant into an already competitive market, behind Cablevision, and the two satellite companies. Cablevision is successful in markets that are already competitive because we offer the best and most technologically advanced voice, video and Internet services at the greatest value for our customers."