Verizon’s stiffing us — Bx. nabe

RESIDENTS of Co-op City are in a high-speed huff over Verizon’s alleged refusal to bring its signature fiber-optic service to the Bronx neighborhood, rolling it out instead in more affluent areas, they say.

Despite a new poll showing huge demand from residents of Co-op City’s 15,000 apartments, Verizon is ignoring a franchise agreement with New York City that includes the community, elected officials and a union representing Verizon workers said.

“The residents there know they’re being left behind in a way that’s entirely unfair,” said Robert Master, a spokesman for the Communication Workers of America.

Among the Co-op City residents left off the grid is Ray Morales, 52, a Verizon worker who installs the high-speed lines in other parts of the Bronx.

“They have it across the street from us,” Morales said. “All my neighbors come up to me. They say, ‘When are we getting it, Ray, when are we getting it?’ ”

Master said expanding FiOS would create competition and good jobs. Residents plan to rally Friday to push Verizon to expand its service. In a 2008 agreement with the city, Verizon committed to extending its FiOS network to every household across the five boroughs by June 30, 2014.

But according to an audit done by the city a full year after the deadline, Verizon failed to to live up to its end of the deal.

A Verizon spokesman, Raymond McConville, said Co-op City has an existing deal with another company.

“Co-op City has an exclusive marketing agreement with the incumbent cable provider in the Bronx,” McConville said. “Despite our attempts to work with the Co-op City board to install FiOs there, they recently granted the incumbent provider a 10-year extension of that exclusive marketing agreement. We remain open to talking with them in the future to work something out.”