BOROUGH OF POINT PLEASANT – For decades now, Point Pleasant Borough residents have only had one choice for their cable and internet provider, Xfinity/Comcast. That is about to change thanks to the consistent lobbying of the Mayor and Council over the last several years.
At the most recent Borough Council Meeting, Mayor Robert A. Sabosik announced that both Verizon FIOS and Optimum Cable have committed and are coming to Point Pleasant Borough.
According to Mayor Sabosik, “For as long as I can remember, residents have asked the Council and I to get them more options for their Cable and Internet needs. We’ve had countless conversations over the years only to be told no by these companies because at the time they did not want to invest in infrastructure here. That has finally changed and these last rounds of conversations have created new results as both Verizon FIOS and Optimum are coming to town. We never gave up the fight and it’s finally paying off. By the end of 2027, Borough residents will be signing up and enjoying their new services if they choose to switch. The added competition will hopefully allow them to negotiate better rates for themselves and have potentially more reliable services.”
Borough Administrator Frank Pannucci stated that “Mayor Sabosik and the Council have been working on this for several years now. They didn’t give up, they kept asking for meetings with the government liaisons from different companies and never took no for an answer. Now all the residents that may not be fully satisfied with their current provider will have two more choices. This area has only ever been serviced by Comcast/Xfinity and now there will be three options for cable and internet needs. Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon Fios and Optimum Cable.”
Council President Joe Veni stated that, “This is truly exciting for our residents. We as a governing body want them to have as many options as possible, and we are very happy that more companies are finally willing to invest in our community. Currently Verizon Fios is already in the process of laying infrastructure. As they move through different areas of the Borough, they are literally going door-to-door asking residents if they want to sign up when they go live. As for Optimum, we just recently passed a Resolution at our Council Meeting to allow them to move forward. They have stated they will begin infrastructure installation in late winter or early spring and hope to have residents that choose to go with them live sometime at the end of 2027.”
Councilwoman Valerie Coulson added that “It took a while. We also made arguments to them that ‘cord-cutting’ and new technologies have shaken up the entire cable and internet industry. Verizon Fios and Optimum finally did some new internal studies and concluded with what we knew all along, that our area could absolutely support their business models. I won’t denigrate any company, but I know one of the first things residents always ask me is why we can’t help them get a different cable provider. I’m thrilled to finally be able to say we are. Competition is what makes this country great and our residents will be the better off for this. I’m sure these providers will be offering some exceptional packages and deals knowing they’re competing now.”
Borough Administrator Frank Pannucci concluded that “This is a great job by our Mayor and Council. While they have no control over the private utility companies, they kept the pressure on them to come into town, and it finally paid off. Our residents will no longer be boxed in by the rules and pricing of just one company, they’ll have choices and negotiating room now.”
