BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhuanet)-- Verizon Communications Inc., the No. 2 U.S. telephone company, reached adealwith the Public Broadcasting Service(PBS) and the Association of Public Television Stations(APTS), according to mediareports Sunday.

Under the terms of the 10-year deal, every Verizon's fiber-optic TV service system will carry every digital multicast of up to three public TV stations within the system's service area, plus the signals of any other noncommercial station that isn't duplicating programming of another carried station.

The deal covers high-definition television programming and local stations' digital multicasting. As broadcasters switch to digital, new technology enables them to use the airwaves for additional channels, known as multicasting.

Verizon said it would also carry "all freely available digital data," including public safety warning information. PBS has 348 member stations.

Verizon fiber-optic TV service is available in parts of California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Texas, according to Verizon spokesman David Fish.

Under digital multicasting, a broadcast station can run a single HDTV signal of high quality or split its signal and offer several channels at lesser quality. Enditem

(Agencies)