Boston, Verizon Announce $300M Deal on Eve of Massive Strike

Boston, MA - Verizon is bringing Boston a fiber-optic upgrade, a partnership announced one day before a planned, 40,000-strong strike by the cell and internet giant's East Coast workers.

Verizon will be replacing the city's copper-based infrastructure with a fiber-optic network platform worth more than $300 million over six years, according to a press release from the mayor's office Tuesday.

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"This change will bring increased competition and choice for broadband and entertainment services in Boston, and support the ongoing efforts to spur innovation and economic opportunity in all neighborhoods," the release said.

Verizon workers were ready to begin their strike at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The neighborhood-by-neighborhood project will begin in Dorchester, West Roxbury and Roxbury's Dudley Square neighborhood in 2016, followed by Hyde Park, Mattapan and other areas of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. The city has also agreed to provide an expedited permitting process to encourage this build, the release said.

The partnership is anticipated to improve Boston's wireless mobile services and will introduce Verizon's FIOS cable TV service, which is already available elsewhere in the state. It also pits Verizon against current top provider Comcast in Boston.

Verizon also presented a $100,00 donation to the Boston Public Library, which will be used to support a mobile hotspot lending program at the Boston Public Library.

However, the good news comes on the heels of less than positive press around Verizon.

Nearly 40,000 Verizon workers are planning to strike Wednesday, which could mean delays of weeks to reconnect many of the company's 140 million customers who lose cable television or their internet connections and even longer waits for new subscribers wanting its FIOS and mobile services. Full story here.

>> Photo of Connecticut Verizon Wireless storefront courtesy Mike Mozart via Flickr/Creative Commons