AT&T to boost infrastructure - and possibly launch video
A planned Tuesday announcement from AT&T could herald the arrival of new video competition in North Carolina.
The telecommunications giant plans to announce the start of a multi-million dollar investment in the state at a news conference tomorrow afternoon in Raleigh. In a short media advisory today, the company said its plans will "usher in land-based competition for video services for millions of consumers."
AT&T has slowly been rolling out video services to cities throughout the country. The company, which took over BellSouth and Cingular, won a major victory in this state last year with the passage of the Video Competition Act, a piece of legislation that allows potential video providers to negotiate at the state level and avoid franchising discussions with each municipality.
It's unclear to which geographic areas of the state AT&T might offer video services. The company news conference will take place at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
We'll try to find out more for you and share it here and in tomorrow's News & Record.
Comments (3)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
This Spring, I spoke with an AT&T rep who told me video would be offered in my neck of the Southern Guilford cty area by the end of this year.
Finally, TW has some rate as well as service competition.
Posted on July 30, 2007 2:41 PM
Jon,
I'm surprised to hear that. The timeline seems a little short to me, but perhaps AT&T can pull it off. The company has said that, nationwide, it aims to roll out video service to about 18 million homes by the end of next year.
AT&T's Internet video service - U-verse - had about 51,000 subscribers at the end of the second quarter and was available in 23 markets, including San Antonio, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. U-verse has not been available here, and company officials haven't been able to tell me when customers in North Carolina might be able to subscribe to video through the phone company.
Records show that AT&T hasn't yet applied for a franchise with the Secretary of State's office. That would be a key step to offering video.
Three questions for you: Do you remember who you talked to (or which office they were in) about getting TV throught AT&T? What are you using for video services now? And why are you interested in switching?
Posted on July 30, 2007 5:16 PM
I changed back to BellSouth during the Spring and dropped my VOIP carrier, Vonage, because of the lousy service my broadband co was providing which ultimately impacts your VOIP quality. Broadband goes out, no VOIP phone service.
Spoke with the BellSouth/AT&T field rep who mentioned that the wires were already in place to offer high quality broadband and cable and would be available by end of this year. May have been shooting me bull, but who knows.
My current cable and broadband operator, TW, has offered inconsistent and poor service over the years. For example, today my broadband speed are just terrible. A constant and common complaint I've registered with TW service.
Posted on August 1, 2007 10:09 AM