Late last year, SBC announced that it was going to invest $5 billion in building out an IPTV infrastructure. I know that it was a major milestone (even if only psychological) because that was the demarkation of when I started receiving phone calls fromventure capitals interested in knowing everything they could find out about the 'space.'

It is easier to say that one intends to spend a lot of money, it is more difficult to actually back that up. Immediately, SBC announced a $400 million deal with Microsoft for their IPTV platform. Now, SBC has put five veteran TV executives into that initiative specifically for video content.

The initiative is called project Lightspeed (note: the service will be marketed under the brand "U-verse," and which will be offered over project Lightspeed's $4 billion fiber-to-the-premises and fiber-to-the-neighborhood network).

Amy Friedlander will oversee advanced products and new media. She was previously a principal at Xanthum Partners of Santa Monica, Calif. Prior to that, she was SVP of business development and general counsel at IP VOD provider, Intertainer.

Chris Lauricella will manage sports programming. He joins SBC after an 8-year stint at directv, where he was director of programming acquisitions. According to SBC, he handled all DirecTV's relationships with sports content providers, including the professional leagues, ESPN, regional sports networks and targeted sport-specific channels.

Richard Wellerstein will focus on VOD. He was previously VP of theatrical programming and acquisition at VOD and PPV content aggregator, iNDEMAND. Prior to that, he worked at Sony Pictures Television and DirecTV.

Richard Levine will focus on local programming and broadcast retransmission. He was previously acting director of programming acquisitions at DirecTV.

Martin Sansing will manage content strategy and new media. He was previously a staff consultant at the Roll Strategy Group in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he handled business development for Intertainer.

Denita Willoughby, a nine-year SBC employee who most recently held the title of VP of business communications services, is in charge of ethnic and emerging networks.

The company's new programming division will be based in Los Angeles.