BASKING RIDGE, N.J.: Verizon FiOS customers in Central and Northern New Jersey and in Long Island have a new channel. The formerly blank Channel 1 is now the FiOS1 news channel.
News and production functions for the channels are being provided by Rye, N.Y.-based Regional News Network (RNN), with additional content coming from The [Newark, N.J.] Star-Ledger and New Jersey Network public television. The news channels provide localized news, sports, weather and traffic information for each market.
Verizon says the FiOS1 channels will present news in “a positive light,” covering hyperlocal stories underreported by other media outlets.
Ten hours of live programming is planned for each day, including live high school sports coverage and carriage of several Rutgers University sporting contests.
A FiOS1 channel has been available in the Washington, D.C. metro area since March 2007.
The New Jersey/Long Island FiOS1 launches coincided with an announcement that Verizon would boost connection speeds for its customers. For the basic rate plan, upload/download speeds would boost from 10/2 Mbps to 15/5 Mbps.
