'Don't BYPASS Buffalo' Campaign Presses Verizon to Install FiOS

CWA members and other Buffalo residents kicked off a campaign this week to pressure Verizon to bring FiOS service to their city. Speakers included CWA Local 1122 President Jim Wagner (above).

Led by CWA, a broad-based coalition of labor and community groups kicked off a campaign this week demanding that Verizon bring its lightning-fast FiOS service to Buffalo, N.Y.

The company is installing its state-of-the-art fiber optics in many suburban communities ringing Buffalo, but has ignored the city itself despite pleas from local leaders.

The "Don't BYPASS Buffalo" campaign aims to change that by publicly prodding Verizon to extend its premier internet and video services to less affluent residents in the inner city.

"I've talked to Verizon officials numerous times and I've made it clear that our residents want FiOS in the city of Buffalo," Mayor Byron Brown said as the coalition launched its campaign Monday outside Verizon's offices in Buffalo. "It will create more competition for cable subscribers, more job opportunities and economic development, and additional educational opportunities for our children."

CWA Local 1122 President Jim Wagner said Buffalo residents and small businesses will be at a disadvantage if the suburban FiOS build-out doesn’t reach the city. "People in Buffalo want FiOS as much as the residents of the suburb of Amherst," he said. "Verizon should not bypass Buffalo and limit jobs and future opportunities brought about by FiOS just to the suburbs."

The coalition also stresses that denying FiOS to Buffalo residents means a majority of the area's minority residents, who live mainly in the city, are at a technological disadvantage.

CWAers and other coalition members began taking petitions door-to-door this week. Other groups involved include the Coalition for Economic Justice, the western New York affiliate of Jobs with Justice, the NAACP, PUSH Buffalo Citizen Action, and VOICE Buffalo.

Go to www.DontBypassBuffalo.com to learn more and pledge your support.