Ameritech Expanding Downriver Cable TV Presence
DETROIT -- Taylor this week became the latest Downriver community to allow Ameritech (NYSE: AIT) to compete for its residents' cable television service.
Tuesday night the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance codifying a 15-year cable TV franchise agreement with Ameritech New Media. The subsidiary of Ameritech plans to offer its cable TV service, called americast(R), to Taylor residents beginning early next year. Located south of Detroit, Taylor has a population of 70,000 people in 25,000 homes.
"This is a good thing for our citizens and our community," said Mayor Gregory Pitoniak. "The competition will foster a better product and service for our cable viewers."
"We're delighted that Taylor's city government has chosen to give its residents the benefits of competition, including better service, more stable rates and greater choice of programming," said Donna Garofano, vice president of public affairs for Ameritech New Media.
The Taylor cable TV franchise marks Ameritech's 32nd in the Detroit area. Ameritech now has completed cable TV franchises with 69 Midwestern cities and towns containing more than 1 million households and a total population of more than 2.5 million.
Ameritech now offers its americast cable TV service in more than 45 communities across the Midwest, including 22 in the Detroit metro area. In the Downriver area, Ameritech is offering service in Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale and Southgate, and also has signed franchise agreements with Trenton and Riverview.
Earlier this week Ameritech also completed franchises with Grandview Heights and Grove City, located in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area.
Ameritech serves millions of customers in 50 states and 40 countries. Ameritech provides a full range of communications services, including local and long distance telephone, cellular, paging, security monitoring, cable TV, Internet services and more. One of the world's 100 largest companies, Ameritech (www.ameritech.com) has 74,000 employees, 1 million shareowners and more than $25 billion in assets.
/CONTACT: Geoff Potter, of Ameritech, 312-526-8223, or
geoff.potter@ameritech.com/
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