Note: The wonderful fallout of 'more competition' and 'consumer friendly' bills.

from: Multichannel News [1]

Comcast Cuts Free Drops

(Multichannel News) _ Local Michigan governments are publicly criticizing cable operators there for taking advantage of a state law, for instance, cutting most of its free cable services to firehouses and police stations.

Around July 4, Comcast began notifying communities that in the future, it will provide a free drop to one police and one fire station per community, not to each facility as it does now. Also, Charter Communications has notified some of its 850 communities that it will no longer maintain construction and performance bonds specified in local franchises.

This is in reaction to the December 2006 passage of Public Law 480, which moved franchising authority to the state. As a consequence of that bill, many local franchise requirements, such as construction and performance bonding, a demand for local offices and free connections to schools and all municipal buildings, are now void.