BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Verizon is bringing more choice for high-speed internet to the area as it expands Fios to previously unserved pockets of the Lehigh Valley.
Verizon Communications Manager Chris Serico confirmed Friday additional plans for expansion across the area, but stopped short of disclosing where and when Fios will be available next.
“For Verizon Fios year-to-date, our expansion efforts in [the Lehigh Valley] area have actually made it possible for thousands upon thousands of households that are now eligible to sign up to use our Verizon Fios service,” Serico said.
"It's been a really lucrative year for us in terms of not only, you know, expanding our network, but giving more people access to Verizon Fios in that capacity."Verizon Communications Manager Chris Serico
“We have a digital plan for expansion planned for [the Lehigh Valley] area in 2024. We usually don't talk about those until they're done, for competitive reasons.
"But it's been a really lucrative year for us in terms of not only, you know, expanding our network, but giving more people access to Verizon Fios in that capacity."
The expansion means Verizon will offer more options in a continued face off with incumbent internet and cable operators in the region, including Service Electric Cable TV & Communications and Astound Broadband, previously known as RCN.
Both those companies have a footprint in nearly all of the Lehigh Valley, and Service Electric has been a legacy service provider in the area.
Hiring goals, expanded service
To support the expansion, Verizon aimed, beginning this year, to hire at least 1,800 additional technicians whose primary job would be building, maintaining and installing Fios home internet.
The positions are based across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.
Verizon said those technicians would expand service in rural and underserved communities with funding provided in part by the American Rescue Plan Act.
All 1,800 roles are expected to be filled by July 2026. Some of them could be based in the Lehigh Valley, Serico said, but he couldn’t confirm an exact number.
Additionally, some qualifying households that may not be able to afford high-speed internet will get it at a discounted price — and, in some cases, free.
Serico said with the help of Verizon and the Federal Communications Commission, the Affordable Connectivity Program would bring access to more people in the region and across the country.
Qualifying customers can get Verizon’s 5G Home and Fios 300 Mbps internet plans free if they are eligible for the ACP program, with no annual contracts, no data caps and no extra fees.
A multi-year redesign finished
The news of a Fios expansion comes months after Verizon announced the completion of a multi-year redesign of its network in the Lehigh Valley.
In June, company officials said more than 82% of residents would have access to 5G Ultra Wideband, with expanded coverage in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
According to Verizon, 5G Ultra Wideband is the company’s highest performing 5G, using high band and mid-band spectrum, while the 5G service uses a low-band spectrum.
“These upgrades and improvements have boosted presence coverage and capacity across the Lehigh Valley area."Verizon Communications Manager Chris Serico
"We're always looking at our best opportunities to invest in all our networks, including Verizon Fios, but for competitive reasons, we can't get into the details of where we might be considering where our next build is until it's made more public and approvals go through,” Serico said.
He said in the second half of the year, Verizon built four macro sites from scratch (cellular base stations that send and receive radio signals through large towers and antennas) that have C-band and 4G LTE technologies installed.
Additionally, he said there were 69 macro modifications, and all were activated to include C-band 5G.
“These upgrades and improvements have boosted presence coverage and capacity across the Lehigh Valley area, resulting in significant enhancements in 4G LTE, 5G networks and, of course, Fios,” he said.
