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from: Long Island Business News

Cablevision fights back

By Pete Weiss

Friday, March 7, 2008

When Verizon first cracked the Long Island market with its vaunted FiOS television service, some analysts – and the company itself – predicted subscribers would leave Cablevision in droves for the phone company’s video service.

from: National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA)

NATOA Survey: Impact of State Video Services Legislation

March 5, 2008 11:10 AM
Impact of State Video Services Legislation
Early Results Do Not Evidence Sufficient Competitive Benefits

Alexandria, VA – The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) today released results of a preliminary survey it conducted among its members to obtain a snapshot of the impact state video services legislation has had to date on communities and subscribers. While state video franchising is still a relatively new concept, the survey posed questions regarding its effects on competition, rates and services, PEG (Public, Educational and Governmental) access, and consumer complaints. Responses came from 14 of the states which have adopted state video legislation. A total of 139 Local Franchising Authorities (LFAs), representing 10 million cable subscribers (15% of cable subscribers nationwide), participated in the survey.

from: TPM Muckraker

Bush Says Telecom Immunity My Way of Saying Thanks

March 4, 2008
By Paul Kiel

Bush has been beating the drum for weeks (danger! terrorists! attack!). And finally the Dems seem to be marching in time.

As we noted yesterday, there are clear signs that whatever surveillance bill emerges from the House-Senate negotiations, it will more than likely contain immunity for the telecoms for their participation in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. But Bush is not a man to settle. He wants more. Here he is speaking yesterday before a gathering of the state’s attorneys general:

from: Washington Post

Senator Seeks to Overturn FCC Media Ownership Rule

From Reuters, March 5, 2008
By Peter Kaplan

A senior Democratic senator on Wednesday introduced a resolution aimed at overturning a decision by regulators that loosened media ownership restrictions in the 20 biggest U.S. cities.

from: MultiChannel News

Martin Disrupts Tate-Adelstein Deal: Sources
FCC Chairman Scuttled Pact Over Putting His Resignation In Writing
Ted Hearn -- Multichannel News, 3/5/2008 5:05:00 PM

WASHINGTON -- Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin scuttled a deal between the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) designed to award new terms to incumbent FCC commissioners, Republican Deborah Taylor Tate and Democrat Jonathan Adelstein, according to individuals familiar with the details.

from: My Record journal

Public access may be hard to access on U-verse
By: George Moore, staff 8:20 pm
03/05/2008

WALLINGFORD - The ability to find public access shows while channel surfing will play a central role in a struggle between public access advocates and AT&T's new television service, U-verse.

from: MultiChannel News

Tenn. Eyes New Franchising Bill
Proposal Would Give Authority 90 Days To Act On Application
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 3/5/2008 8:34:00 AM

A state franchising proposal, which would create a new state commission composed of city and county officials, has passed the Tennessee House utilities, banking and small business committee.

from: The Tennessean

AT&T bill clears first hurdle in House

By NAOMI SNYDER
Staff Writer
March 5, 2008

Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, who complained he was "left standing at the altar" by AT&T during the last legislative session, was able to get his alternative AT&T bill passed through state House subcommittee Tuesday.

from: Multichannel News

Indiana’s TV Law Lauded
by Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 3/3/2008

Ball State University researchers said Indiana’s 2006 telecommunications-reform bill has advanced the deployment of video and broadband services in the state, a finding disputed by incumbent cable operators.

from: Times Herald

Lansing must fix threat to public access
Flawed cable law paved way for transfer of community programs

No matter how Comcast tries to spin it, the cable provider's efforts to move some of its channels to a higher digital tier runs counter to the interests of many viewers. More important, state lawmakers bear responsibility for making it easier for Comcast to change its programming.