Overview
- The carriage agreement lapsed on Dec. 15, and Verizon Fios removed Cox-owned stations including Boston’s WFXT (FOX) and Pittsburgh’s WPXI (NBC), affecting viewers in Boston, Providence, and Pittsburgh.
- Fios customers in New England already missed the Dec. 28 Patriots–Jets broadcast, prompting many to try free streaming trials, buy antennas, use apps like LocalTV+, or switch providers.
- Verizon says Cox is demanding unreasonable increases, points customers to verizon.com/cox, and suggests temporary options such as Fox One for FOX games and Peacock for NBC broadcasts.
- Cox Media Group and Boston 25 say they are negotiating in good faith, accuse Verizon of dropping the station, and urge viewers to call Fios or move to carriers like DirecTV, Xfinity, or Dish.
- With the Patriots scheduled on FOX and the Steelers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Week 18, affected Fios subscribers could miss more games if no agreement is reached.