Al Jazeera America Suing AT&T

NEW YORK: Al Jazeera America, which made its debut yesterday, has filed a lawsuit against AT&T’s U-verse after the provider dropped the channel.

The decision by AT&T’s U-verse pay-TV service came from a contract dispute over terms to carry the new network. Al Jazeera has responded by suing for breach of contract in Delaware Chancery Court.

“Al Jazeera America made a decision to seek judicial intervention in its dispute with AT&T,” the network said. “Unfortunately AT&T’s decision to unilaterally delete Al Jazeera America presented us with circumstances that were untenable—an affiliate that has willfully and knowingly breached its contractual obligations. Accordingly, we had no choice but to take this action and to enforce Al Jazeera America’s rights under its agreement with AT&T—and to compel AT&T to do the right thing. Al Jazeera America’s strong hope is to resolve this matter quickly so that AT&T’s customers will have access to our unbiased, fact-based and in depth coverage of the news that is important to Americans.”