California PUC Awards AT&T Video Franchise

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) formally approved AT&T California's application for a state-issued authorization to provide video service in California as part of "The Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006," which became law on January 1, 2007.

"The CPUC's approval of our application brings Californians one step closer to finally having a real choice to cable TV," said Ken McNeely, President, AT&T California. "After more than 40
years of the status quo, Californians are now beginning to see the benefits of a competitive marketplace for both TV/video and other broadband services."

"At AT&T, we're hard at work with cities across California as we upgrade our fiber-optic network to bring consumers the most advanced Internet Protocol (IP)-based TV/video services and faster Internet access speeds. Harnessing the power of IP, we're helping usher in a new era of innovative, next- generation services and new choices for Californians. We look forward to rolling out our TV/video service—AT&T U-verse(SM)—in cities throughout [California] as soon as possible."

For more information, see the AT&T press release.