Verizon: Investing in Virginia
Verizon is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. In Virginia, the company serves over 3 million local wireline phone lines, making it one of Verizon Communications’ largest state operations. Verizon's service territory in Virginia stretches from the densely populated areas of Northern Virginia, the greater Richmond region and Hampton Roads to rural Southside and Southwest Virginia.
Verizon Wireless offers cellular service in many markets throughout the Commonwealth, while Verizon Business is a leading provider of advanced communications solutions to large government agencies, major corporations, local municipalities and educational institutions. Verizon is one of the state's largest employers.
Fiber is the Future
In 2005 and again in 2006, Verizon Virginia invested approximately $600 million in its wireline telecommunications infrastructure to keep pace with the fast-changing technological needs of our customers.
Verizon’s future is heavily staked in broadband service, and the company is jumping ahead of competitors by building the nation’s most advanced wireless and wireline broadband networks. In late 2004, Verizon began to upgrade its communications network to bring fiber optics directly to consumers’ homes in Virginia and more than half the states where it provides landline phone service. Verizon delivers its FiOS Internet and FiOS TV services over this digital, all-fiber network – the nation’s largest. This is the only network that has earned the certification of the independent Fiber to the Home Council for providing fiber all the way to customers’ homes.
Customers in parts of northern, central and eastern Virginia currently are experiencing breathtaking voice, video and high-speed Internet connections, as FiOS transforms Verizon’s network and the products it is able to offer.
Virginia also hosts one of Verizon’s five national Fiber Solutions Centers. Located in Hampton, approximately 370 employees support consumers and business customers who purchase FiOS voice and data products. Specially trained fiber customer support analysts and fiber-network technicians in the center handle calls from customers who buy FiOS services -- and from Verizon technicians who install the new products -- answering technical questions and remotely diagnosing and correcting problems.
Commitment to Community
Verizon's investment goes far beyond communications equipment and services. It also includes investments of time and money by the Verizon Foundation and the company’s employees. In 2006, the Verizon Foundation and Verizon employees in Virginia gave nearly $4 million -- plus 25,000 hours in volunteer time -- to over 700 charitable and civic causes throughout the Commonwealth.
Verizon is committed to supporting programs and projects that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, enriching communities through technology, and fostering domestic violence awareness, prevention and recovery. Through the Foundation, Verizon hopes to forge and maintain partnerships around technology initiatives with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially challenged.
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