On Thursday, Baltimore City Hall witnessed a protest by nearly 80 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA); with the demonstrations chiefly underscoring the opposition of a wireless-spectrum deal between Verizon Wireless and cable companies.

Protesting against the deal, the CWA members said that the agreement between Verizon and the cable companies will have an adverse effect on Baltimore's chances of ever receiving the FiOS network - the next-generation Internet broadband network from the bigwig telecom company.

The deal which the CWA members protested against would give Verizon the ability to expand its fourth-generation wireless services after buying unused wireless spectrum from the cable companies.

In a deal with major cable companies across the country, Verizon Wireless plans to expand its fourth-generation wireless services after its still-proposed $3.6-billion purchase of wireless spectrum from the cable companies. Under the terms of the deal, Verizon and the cable providers will get the opportunity to cross-promote one another's wireless as well as landline services to consumers.

However, since the CWA represents Verizon's landline workers, its members are apprehensive that the deal between Verizon and the cable companies will likely imply that people living in Baltimore will not gain access to Verizon's high-speed FiOS network --- a network which, if deployed in the city, would lead to the potential creation of hundreds of new jobs.