AT&T Launches TV in L.A.

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/1/2007 2:26:00 PM

Telco AT&T is rolling out its Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) service, U-verse, in the Los Angeles market.

AT&T's U-verse TV and high-speed data services are now available in the towns of Altadena, Anaheim, Burbank, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Glendale, Laguna Niguel, Orange County, Santa Ana, Santa Clarita, and Tustin, and AT&T says it will continue to increase availability "on an ongoing basis."

The U-verse introduction in Los Angeles follows new legislation passed last fall by the California Legislature to make it easier for new entrants to provide multichannel video service. As such, AT&T's U-verse services are also available to households in the San Francisco and San Jose markets. Verizon has also taken advantage of the change in California's video franchising laws and has secured a statewide franchise for its FiOS TV television service.

AT&T is promoting U-Verse, which so far counts less than 30,000 TV subscribers , by offering two months of free TV service when new subscribers sign up for certain programming packages. The company is also offering three tiers of data services ranging from 1.5 to 6 megabits per second downstream, along with wireless home-networking at no additional charge.

"It’s fitting that AT&T U-verse, a service that’s delivering the future of entertainment to our customers, is launching here — the heart of America’s entertainment industry," said Kieran Nolan, AT&T vice president and general manager for the Los Angeles area, in a statement. "We’re excited to bring Los Angeles-area customers a new choice for their television services."