AT&T; Appeals Ruling on Portland Cable Access

WASHINGTON — AT&T; Corp., the second-largest U.S. cable television company, appealed a federal court ruling forcing it to allow competitors to use its cable-TV networks in Portland and Multnomah County, Ore.

In a filing with the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, AT&T; said the Portland ordinance that was upheld by the court violates a national cable law. That law forbids local authorities from requiring a cable company to provide telecommunications facilities and services as a condition for a cable franchise, AT&T; said.

“The development of real competition and choice in telecommunications is a matter of national policy, not municipal prerogative,” said James Cicconi, AT&T;’s general counsel.