from: The Morning journal [1]

06/26/2007
Gov. Strickland signs lower cost cable bill
MEGAN KING , Morning Journal Writer

LORAIN -- The cable bill that local officials fear will jeopardize their cable franchise fees was signed into law yesterday by Gov. Ted Strickland.
Local officials were concerned that the bill would deprive cities of their franchising fees and would jeopardize public access television.

The bill allows municipalities to cancel their cable current cable franchises, and gives the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce authority to issue statewide franchises for video service.

Strickland said in a statement yesterday the bill would lower costs.

''I believe that the establishment of a statewide franchise for video-service providers will not only bring additional investment to our state, but also result in lower costs and more choices for consumers in Ohio,'' Strickland said in a statement.

Local Voice Ohio, a group of municipalities and school districts that oppose the bill, had been concerned that the bill would be a threat to local public access channels and would affect local control over cable franchise agreements.

The Ohio Municipal League has said cable providers will have the right to withdraw public access channels if not enough new and original programming is shown on them every week.

Both Avon and Huron recently passed resolutions opposing the bill.

Huron Mayor Terry Graham Sr. said the city could lose up to $80,000 in franchise fees as a result of the passage, and the city was concerned about state control over their local right of way.

''(The bill) also takes away portions of home rule as the Municipal League of Ohio has stated and we accept that position. This is now allowing the state to tell us what we're going to do as far as having cable services specifically, on our rights of way, and services provided to our citizenry,'' Graham said.

Mayor Jim Smith said in April that the bill could take away local communities' franchise fees. Avon gets about $100,000 in franchising fees annually.

Smith said he hopes changes were made to the bill before it passed.

''I'm trusting our ladies and gentlemen in Columbus made sure that there were things in there that the Ohio Municipal League found there should be some tightening up, and maybe they did,'' Smith said.

Avon Lake City Council had discussed SB 117, but a resolution of opposition was never passed.

''They've made modifications,'' Mayor Rob Berner said of the bill. ''I don't think there's anything in it that's going to adversely affect us at this point.''