Verizon will carry the digital programming of public broadcasting, under an agreement announced at a Washington press conference this morning by Verizon, the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service).

Under the multiyear agreement, Verizon’s FiOS TV service will carry the full digital signal of up to three local public television stations, along with additional noncommercial stations, as long as that programming isn’t duplicative. The agreement covers High Definition programming from PBS and local public television stations as well as local stations’ digital multicasts.

According to published reports, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to take action next week on multicast must-carry rules that could dictate what video service providers have to carry. APTS already has a 10-year carriage agreement with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. According to Multi-Channel News, that deal requires a cable operator to carry up to four digital channels from a single PBS network per market prior to the return of analog channels, and up to four public network operators per market afterward.

“This is a wonderful example of the diverse digital programming content Verizon can provide through the power of fiber-optics,” said Kathryn C. Brown, Verizon senior vice president for public policy development and corporate responsibility, in a prepared statement. “Verizon is excited to add this programming, as well as public television’s new offerings available through its digital multicasts, to FiOS TV subscribers in all our markets. When Congress enacts television choice legislation this year, we hope to make quality content like this available more quickly to consumers.”