The Happy Valley City Council voted to grant a franchise to Verizon Tuesday night (May 20), paving the way for video choice in the communities. The vote brings to 18 the total number of Oregon communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.

"This is great news for residents of Happy Valley, who now will soon have a new choice for their video entertainment," said David Valdez, Verizon senior vice president for the Pacific Northwest. "Consumers in these communities will be able to choose their cable provider as easily as they choose their phone company. Competition like this drives innovation and value, and puts the consumer in control."

Verizon's FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, 27 high-definition (HD) channels in the Oregon market and access to more than 10,000 on-demand titles, 70 percent of which are free.

Verizon's fiber network delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 15 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.*

Happy Valley joins a growing list of Oregon communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market. Verizon has been granted video franchises in the following cities and counties:

Beaverton, Cornelius, Durham, Dundee, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, King City, Lake Oswego, McMinnville, Newberg, Rivergrove, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin, Wilsonville, and Washington and Yamhill counties.