BOSTON – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) has added 75 new channels to its FiOS fiber-optic television service.

Fifty-five of the 75 new channels are high-definition (HDTV) stations, bringing the total number of HD channels offered on FiOS to 85, Verizon said. The new HD stations include CNN, CNBC, Lifetime, Bravo, TBS, History Channel, Weather Channel, USA and the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as five new sports stations.

The company “plans to offer all available major HD programming” by the end of 2008, Verizon said, adding that it already offers more HD channels than any other cable company in Rhode Island. A spokeswoman for Cox Communications said her company offers 40 HD channels.

Phil Santoro, Verizon’s local spokesman, said that his company expects to have its fiber-optic network built out to reach 85 percent of Rhode Island customers by the end of the year. The R.I. Public Utilities Commission has granted Verizon approval to offer FiOS service in 29 of the state’s 39 communities.

Last week, the company expanded service into Glocester and Smithfield, bringing to 16 the number of Ocean State cities and towns where FiOS television, phone and Internet service is available. (READ MORE) By the end of the year, Santoro said, the service will be offered in four more municipalities: Cumberland, Lincoln, Central Falls, and Pawtucket.

As of June 30, Verizon had 1.4 million FiOS TV subscribers nationwide. Although the company does not release subscriber numbers for individual regions, Verizon says that 20 percent of homes nationwide where FiOS is available have signed up for TV service.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), a Dow 30 company, delivers broadband and other communications services through its Verizon Wireless and Verizon Wireline divisions. For more information about Verizon and its Rhode Island operations, visit www.verizon.com/ri.