Verizon Communications is launching a fiber optic television service in Oregon, setting up head-to-head competition with Comcast.
Verizon said Thursday it is making the FiOS TV service available to 152,000 Oregon households in the Portland area and called it a "liberation day for disgruntled cable TV customers."
The TV service is available to customers in Aloha, Beaverton, Cornelius, Dundee, Durham, Hillsboro, King City, McMinnville, Newberg, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville. It will be added to Forest Grove and Sherwood later this month.
With the launch, Verizon now offers FiOS TV in 13 states.
The company also says it has reached a preliminary agreement with Comcast to offer the channel that carries Portland Trail Blazers' games as part of the new service.
Much to the dismay of some fans, the games have been carried only on Comcast.