Verizon Communications announced today that it was struck a deal for its Fios digital television service to carry new digital channels offered by public television broadcasters, including programming aimed at children and Hispanic audiences.
“This agreement is a major step forward for public service media in our country. It is the culmination of hard work by APTS, PBS and Verizon to ensure that public television’s content is available to consumers who choose to receive their television programming from Verizon. At a time when some in Congress question the important contribution that public television stations make to the communities they serve, Verizon’s commitment to public television and to delivering high-quality programming to its growing television-customer base is significant. The agreement also recognizes the unique role that public broadcasters play in national homeland defense efforts and provides for carriage of emergency public safety information.”
Under the terms of the deal, Fios will carry both the primary channel offered by public television stations and additional “multicast” digital channels the stations are now able to broadcast. These includes PBS Kids Go, carrying childrens’ programming and cartoons such as Arthur, and Viva TV, a Spanish-language channel currently in development for the Hispanic community.
The agreement comes as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nears a vote next week on whether cable television operators will be required to carry multicast channels. The FCC rejected such a requirement in 2005
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