Just came across Red Bank TV, which is a new blog discussing the negotions between the town of Red Bank and Verizon Communications, in regards to Verizon wanting to offer it’s new FiOSTV service in the town. Verizon has recently petitioned the town council to grant them a cable television franchise and it appears that this blog is going to cover the negotiations in pretty good detail. This is a relatively new service that Verizon wants to offer and I believe it would be the first time it is offering it in New Jersey. These negotiations will have a lot of business and political ramifications, so it will be very intriguing to watch.
The blog’s first post contains a lot of information about what Verizon is looking to do and how it will effect the town. In summary:
I believe that Verizon is a forward thinking organization and we should be proud that Verizon has chosen Red Bank as a beacon for their new television service. I believe that a lot of communities around our state will be watching to see how our town negotiates our deal with Verizon. I think that our town Council is in a unique position in which we have the ability to negotiate a deal with Verizon that will be beneficial to Verizon and pioneering for our town. Our council should not accept a deal that does not address the issues I have brought up in this essay. Verizon needs Red Bank at this point a lot more than Red Bank needs Verizon. There are no laws compelling Verizon to address most of these issues but there is also no law saying that we have to allow Verizon to operate a cable TV franchise in our town. Verizon stands to gain a lot by getting the franchise but they stand to loose so much more if we decide to walk away from this deal. Not for a long time has our town wielded so much sway over a corporation as big as Verizon. I encourage Red Bank residents and Red Bank Town Council members to work for a deal with Verizon that will benefit our town for a long time to come.
As I’ve already said, this blog will be very intriguing to read.