This is not the kind of news that makes the front page of the city’s tabloids or the top of the 11 o’clock news (or even the bottom).

But it should because it will affect millions of New Yorkers and the city’s civic bloodstream.

As Juan Gonzalez first reported in the Daily News last month, the city is now negotiating a contract with Verizon to provide cable service in the five boroughs.

That’s important for two reasons. The first is obviously that it will introduce cable competition for the first time. Time Warner and Cablevision will no longer have virtual monopolies.

The second reason is that part of the deal will include what percentage of revenue will go toward public access television.

Public access TV – in the Bronx it’s BRONXNET – trains residents in production and airs their work. Yes, there are way too many monotonous videos of religious services, but there are also worthwhile public affairs shows and some terrific films and documentaries produced by Bronx residents.

The cable companies use public streets to run cable and fiber optics, so it is incumbent upon the city to make sure the public gets something in return. Sufficient dollars for quality public access is one thing the city needs to bargain hard for. The other is to make sure Verizon does not cherry pick the city’s more affluent neighborhoods to provide service. Council Member Gale Brewer, who heads the City Council’s Technology Committee, supports what is known as “universal buildout.”  This is important to Bronxites, many of whom remember how long it took to get any cable service in the first place.

There’s yet another reason why the Verizon negotiations are critical. The city will negotiate new contracts with Time Warner and Cablevision this fall.

The Verizon deal will set a precedent. The negotiations are going on now. If you care about public access and a choice of cable companies, call your Council member and encourage him or her to drive a hard bargain with Verizon.