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from: Capital Times

AT&T still not definite on U-verse here

Jeff Richgels — 4/28/2008 11:26 am

AT&T is looking to hire 200 more technicians to install and service its U-verse TV service, which now is available to more than 200,000 homes in the Milwaukee, Racine and Sheboygan areas.

But even though the jobs include positions in south central Wisconsin, indicating that U-verse may be offered here in the near future, the company still isn't saying when the Madison area might get U-verse.

from: NY Daily News

Verizon TV proposal needs tuning

Friday, April 25th 2008, 4:00 AM

Telecom giant Verizon has finally submitted its long-awaited proposal for a competing cable television franchise for New York City.

If you live in the Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens and you're eager to ditch Time Warner or Cablevision, take a number.

from: Callahan's Diary

State video franchising: Where are the competitors?

This post and comments at BFD got me wondering: How’s that brave new world of competitive IPTV and sizzling broadband that Ohioans were promised last summer — when the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved and the Governor happily signed SB 117, AT&T’s “cable franchise reform” bill — coming along?

from: Elliott Mitchell
Music City Arts TV9 / iQ TV10
http://www.meac.tv

Attached, please find the final language of the Franchise "Reform" Legislation in the General Assembly in Tennessee.

There has been some criticism of the draft version of this legislation, and insofar as I can tell the final version is identical to the draft.

I will be the first to tell you that the bill is imperfect, but I also know some of its genesis and was privileged to be among the PEG folks asked to help the Tennessee Municipal League understand and object to many of the demands of both Telco and Cable during closed-door "negotiation." I believe I can report that due to TML's help, PEG in Tennessee dodged several major bullets, where other states have been not so fortunate.

from: Blogging Broadband

Book Report Raises Questions About Texas’ SB5

Those keeping score know that the Texas legislature really started the state-mandated video franchise train down the tracks. SB5 was passed in Texas at the end of 2005. It was a natural place for the phone companies to get the ball rolling, as SBC, now the new AT&T, called Texas home. Since SB5 passed, a likely-unprecedented wave of states adopted some form of “shall issue” video franchising — all of it aimed at helping the phone companies get into the cable business.

Nola.com

La. Senate panel OKs TV change
4/23/2008, 5:28 p.m. CDT
The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — State government, not police juries and city councils, should control the franchise fee process for television service around the state, a Senate panel voted on Wednesday.

from: City Paper

Despite compromise bill, cable ads bashing AT&T still ran
By John Rodgers
Nashville City Paper
04/23/08

Despite compromise bill, cable ads bashing AT&T still ran | comcast, at&t, compromise bill, television franchising, state legislature

Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association says continued ads targeting AT&T after compromise could be due to timing in getting them off the air. Matthew Williams/The City Paper

from: Lafayette Pro Fiber

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Video franchise bills all take; where's the give?

The statewide video franchise bills up for consideration in the Louisiana Legislature are, in fact, bad news as John and the LMA (pdf) have made clear. But, based on the 2006 experience where only Governor Blanco's veto prevented a version of this legislation from becoming law, I also believe it is clear that some form of this legislation is going to pass again this year and Governor Jindal will sign it into law.

from: Lafayette Pro Fiber

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
TV4US Astroturf Org Active in Louisiana

Well, we knew it was coming. The legislature is coming back in session and the latest push to take take local municipal property rights and hand them over to AT&T is back.

from: Village Voice

Lobbying Albany: A Recession-Proof Industry
Posted by Duncan Meisel at 4:25 PM, April 17, 2008

Wall Street may be taking a beating recently, but at least one other New York industry seems recession-proof: lobbying. Once again, spending on lobbying broke records, with an all-time high of $171.2 million spent on influencing state lawmakers, according to the Commission on Public Integrity which released its annual report on lobbying of the New York State legislature.