Verizon to Build FiOS Into New Homes

Verizon Communications Inc. is literally building on its FiOS rollout, inking a marketing agreement with top nationwide homebuilder Lennar Corp. to sell the fiber-optic voice, video and data service in new housing communities, beginning in Texas and Florida.

Based in Miami, Lennar specializes in move-up and retirement homes, offering new projects under the Lennar and U.S. Homes brands.

Under the agreement, Lennar homebuyers will be among the first offered access to Verizon's FiOS Internet service, which offers data connections with downstream speeds between 5 megabits per second and 30 mbps.

The telco will market the service to new Lennar homebuyers in mutually agreed-upon communities, with services installed and available to homebuyers when they move in.

"Exposing our homebuyers to essential and advanced communications early in the process will make moving into a Lennar home that much simpler," said David Kaiserman, president of Lennar Communications Ventures, a new Lennar division set up to oversee communications deals for its new housing communities.