The full D.C. Council is expected to vote next month on a 15-year franchise agreement allowing Verizon to offer fiber optic cable television and Internet service.
A council committee approved the agreement Friday.
Under the agreement, Verizon must cover the city in its network within 10 years, and the initial installation area will include a portion of northeast Washington.
"We didnβt want to permit cherry-picking or redlining or continuing the digital divide in any part of the city,β Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh told the Washington Examiner. βIt was a deal breaker for me that we got the whole city.β
Verizon's FiOS service would be the first major competition for Comcast.
Copyright AP - Associated Press