Verizon Fios Expansion Approved For St. Mary’s County, Bringing More High-Speed Options To Residents

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — More St. Mary’s County residents could soon gain access to faster, fiber-based service after county commissioners approved a cable franchise agreement with Verizon Maryland LLC on July 28.

The agreement allows Verizon to own, operate and maintain a cable television system in the county using its existing fiber-to-the-premises network, commonly associated with Verizon Fios services.

Verizon initially plans to offer service in an area stretching from Wildewood southeast through Lexington Park, St. Mary’s City and toward Point Lookout. For households included in the expansion, the fiber infrastructure could provide faster internet speeds, more reliable connections and another option for television and broadband service.

Fiber Service Moving South

Angela Stancliff, deputy director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Information Technology, presented the agreement to commissioners.

“It’s currently being offered in Wildewood, Lexington Park and they’ll be moving south toward Point Lookout from there,” Stancliff said during the meeting.

County documents indicate Verizon has already installed much of the underlying fiber infrastructure in portions of southeastern St. Mary’s County as part of its telecommunications network. The franchise agreement allows the company to use that network to provide cable television service.

Unlike traditional cable systems that may require construction of an entirely new network, Verizon can build upon fiber infrastructure already in place. That could help the company bring service to additional neighborhoods more efficiently.

Fiber-optic connections transmit data using light, allowing them to support significantly higher speeds and greater capacity than many older copper-based systems. Faster and more reliable connections can benefit residents who work remotely, stream entertainment, attend virtual classes, use telehealth services or have several connected devices operating at the same time.

Agreement Allows Countywide Expansion

Although Verizon’s initial service area is focused on the southeastern portion of the county, commissioners confirmed that the agreement does not restrict the company to that region.

“They have the option to do the entire county with this agreement?” a commissioner asked during the discussion.

“Absolutely, yes,” Stancliff responded.

County officials described the initial rollout as a type of pilot for Verizon. The agreement gives the company the ability to expand farther across St. Mary’s County in the future, although no countywide construction schedule was announced.

The franchise is nonexclusive, meaning it does not prevent other cable providers from operating in the county.

Public Hearing Drew No Comments

Verizon applied for the cable franchise agreement May 20. The county held a public hearing July 14 and kept the public comment period open for seven days.

Stancliff said the county received no public comments during that period.

Commissioners unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the agreement and allowing Commissioner President James “Randy” Guy to execute the related documents.

Support For Government And Educational Programming

The agreement also reserves capacity for up to three educational and governmental access channels. Those channels could be used to broadcast county government meetings, educational programs and other community-focused content.

Verizon’s agreement also includes a proposed $5,000 grant to support capital costs associated with producing educational and governmental programming.

The county could receive future franchise fee revenue once Verizon begins providing cable services under the agreement. A specific estimate was not included in the county’s July 28 memorandum.

Service availability will depend on a resident’s address and Verizon’s continued rollout. The approval authorizes the company to provide service, but it does not guarantee that Fios will immediately become available to every household in St. Mary’s County.

When Will Service Begin?

County officials did not announce a firm timeline for Verizon’s full expansion. Service is already being offered in portions of Wildewood and Lexington Park, according to information presented at the July 28 meeting, and Verizon plans to expand southeast toward Point Lookout.

Residents can check their address through Verizon’s Fios availability tool or contact Verizon sales at 800-225-5499. If an address is eligible, the customer can review available plans and place an order directly with Verizon.

The franchise agreement covers unincorporated St. Mary’s County but excludes the Town of Leonardtown. Approval allows Verizon to provide service; it does not establish a date by which the company must reach every address.

Related Article: Verizon Seeks Entry Into St. Mary’s Cable Market; Public Hearing Set For July

Watch the full approval below at: 17:20

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