Staff report

AT&T announced plans this week to launch its U-Verse TV and Internet in a Charlotte service area that includes Salisbury.

The announcement means AT&T will become a direct competitor with Time Warner Cable and, eventually, the city of Salisbury, in offering television, high-speed Internet and telephone services.

Above all else, it means AT&T — so long associated with the telephone — is in the television business in a big way.

The city of Salisbury plans to launch its own fiber-optic cable utility and offer the same three services by mid-2010. The city secured the $34.9 million in financing toward the project last week.

City officials say they welcome AT&T as a competitor and think it will benefit Salisbury consumers in the long run. (See accompanying story.)AT&T previously launched U-Verse in the Atlanta, Miami and Jacksonville, Fla., markets in the Southeast.

The Charlotte region is the first AT&T market in the Carolinas to see the service, which is available now to 781,000 customers in 22 states.

"Cable has been the only game in town for too long," AT&T Home Solutions General Manager Bob Sellman said in a press release.

"We know Charlotte customers want a better choice to break free from cable, and AT&T U-Verse TV is the answer."

Sellman said the company will be offering an extensive channel lineup, unmatched features and the latest technology — "all at a competitive price and great value."

"It's all about delivering a better TV experience," he said.

Not all homes and businesses in Salisbury will have immediate access to U-Verse, which AT&T is continuing to expand, said spokeswoman Della Bowling. She said potential customers should visit http://uverse.att.com, call 800-ATT-2020 or visit a local AT&T retail location to determine if the service is available yet.

Prices for television packages range from $44 to $99 a month and include up to 350 channels.

The high-speed Internet with U-Verse ranges from $77 to $164 a month. The company says its high-speed Internet offers more bandwidth and faster speeds in five different package options.

All the high-speed Internet packages include wireless home networking at no extra cost and access to the AT&T Wi-Fi network across the nation, which has more than 17,000 hot spots.

AT&T says it's the only national service provider to offer a 100 percent Internet Protocol (IP) service, which includes advanced capabilities customers don't get from other providers, AT&T said.

In July 2006, the N.C. General Assembly passed House Bill 2047, which streamlines the process by which companies could enter the video-services market.

It permitted companies such as AT&T to obtain a state-issued franchise rather than negotiate with individual cities and towns. In 2007, AT&T announced its plans to invest about $350 million in fiber network upgrades, including television.

Rep. Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg, a supporter of the legislation, said it was based "on the belief that eliminating barriers to competition ultimately brings choices to consumers and investment to the state."

Here are some of the TV things available in U-Verse:

- Subscription options with 100 percent digital programming. All packages offer high definition-ready equipment, and most packages include an HD-ready digital video recorder (DVR).

- The U-Verse Total Home DVR allows a homeowner to watch recorded programs from a single DVR on any connected television in the house. A customer can pause a recorded show in one room and pick it up from that point in another room or play back multiple recorded shows at one time.

- The ability to record up to four programs at once with the DVR.

- The ability to set the DVR from any location. A customer can schedule his recordings from any Web-connected personal computer or a compatible AT&T cell phone.

- 75 high-definition channels. HD service costs $10 a month with any U-Verse package.

- The AT&T U-bar, allowing a user to customize weather, stock, sports and traffic information to his screen without interrupting a program.

- Built-in picture-in-picture that allows channel surfing without leaving the program a user is watching.

- A Spanish language package featuring novellas, movies, news, sports, children's programming, talk shows and other shows, for $10 a month.

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