[The following is a paid advertisement.]

There has been lots of discussion about ways to jumpstart our economy. Last summer, our legislative leaders did just that by helping AT&T create more than 1,400 jobs and attracting substantial private investment, while not costing taxpayers a dime.

When companies compete on a level playing field, Illinois’ economy and consumers are the real winners.

For too long there just wasn’t much competition to the cable monopoly, which meant higher bills and poor customer service. That is changing.

Senator Clayborne and Representative Brosnahan sponsored the Cable and Video Competition Law to help consumers who were craving more choices in the video marketplace, and it was supported by the General Assembly and Attorney General Madigan.

They, along with Senate President Jones and House Speaker Madigan, understood this was a vital vote for our consumers and our economy

Since it was signed by Governor Blagojevich on June 30, 2007, AT&T has created more than 1,400 jobs related to the rollout of U-verse, its state-of-the-art video product.

AT&T has also started on a more than $1.3 billion Illinois investment plan over the next several years to bring consumers new services, including cutting-edge television.

AT&T is working hard to deliver U-verse to as many customers as quickly as possible, and it’s currently already available in parts of more than 230 communities.

Illinois’ economic future brightens tremendously when strong public-private partnerships are formed that encourage high-tech innovation, investment and new jobs. Our elected officials made this happen, and, hopefully, this collaboration will be successfully replicated.

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