Verizon, local telephone and Internet provider, plans to expand bandwidth in the Idyllwild area but will not bring its FiOs (bundled high definition TV, upgraded Internet speed, and digital voice calling) service to the area, according to Jarryd Gonzales, California media relations manager.

“From a FiOs standpoint, it would require a significant upgrade to the existing facilities and infrastructure [to bring that service to the Hill],” said Gonzales. For Hill users that means no Verizon bundled high definition TV, Internet and digital voice at competitive packaged rates. FiOs could have provided a desired local service given that terrain and trees in the Idyllwild area make satellite high definition television unavailable for many area homes.

Bandwidth expansion will facilitate transmission of more data, expanding network coverage and capacity to the Idyllwild area for current DSL (digital subscriber line) customers, but will not necessarily mean faster Internet. For a user, bandwidth expansion means more devices can be used in a service area and more data can be transmitted at a particular time.

Without expanded bandwidth, when traffic is particularly heavy, an Internet service provider (ISP) can deliberately throttle back users’ traffic, or slow some kinds of traffic. This is a practice called traffic shaping. With less available bandwidth, a provider can use traffic shaping to maintain quality and ensure delivery of critical services while slowing others. As bandwidth increases, more information can be delivered to end-users at any one moment.

Gonzales released a statement on behalf of Verizon: “Verizon is committed to providing customers the freedom of a borderless lifestyle where they can connect with what they love on all their favorite devices. That is why there is some work currently being done in Idyllwild to help increase capacity for additional HSI [high speed Internet] customers. [But] at this time there are not plans for FiOs for Idyllwild.”

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