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from: madison.com

Some support for cable competition bill eroding
By MARK PITSCH, Wisconsin State Journal

Some union support for a controversial cable competition bill is eroding over worries it will kill off public access channels and fail to generate the jobs supporters promise.

The concerns emerged this week as AB 207 vaulted onto the fast track for approval after lying dormant since May while lawmakers worked out a new, two-year state budget.

But lawmakers said there's little time to build support for altering the legislation, backed by the lobbying muscle of telecommunications giant AT&T, before it comes to a Senate vote next week.

"We're on track to get the most AT&T-friendly bill in the country and the least consumer-friendly," said Barry Orton, a UW-Madison telecommunications professor who opposes the bill.

AB 207 is the biggest piece of legislation the Senate will consider after putting bills on hold during the budget

debate, which concluded last week. The Assembly has already passed the bill, and it was approved 13-3 by the Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would update state telecommunications law by creating statewide franchises for providing video service to replace the individual agreements typically negotiated between cable companies and municipalities.

'Why not pass a good bill?'

Proponents say the bill will increase competition with cable television, lower rates and create new jobs.

Jeff Bentoff, an AT&T spokesman, said he couldn't say when his company would offer video service in Madison. AT&T doesn't yet have the infrastructure capacity to provide the service, he said.

Opponents say the bill would lessen government regulation of cable providers, possibly lead to the elimination of public access channels, fail to require video providers to offer service to all areas of the state and create far fewer jobs than proponents claim.

The 2,200-member Milwaukee local of the Communications Workers of America last month voted to oppose AB 207, even though its parent union supports it.

"If we're going to pass a bill here in Wisconsin, why not pass a good bill?" said George Walls, president of CWA Local 4603 in Milwaukee.

Walls said his local could support the bill if it includes significant penalties for companies that don't provide service in all parts of a community and don't quickly provide services after the bill is passed. He also said the bill should include a provision for the state franchise to expire after a period of years, rather than be granted forever.

"That's going to hold companies accountable for providing good service," Walls said of a possible franchise expiration provision.

Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said he would introduce an amendment to limit franchises to a certain number of years. He said he would also like to add requirements that providers serve low-income and rural areas and to extend the number of years community access stations survive.

But he said it will be hard to generate support for the amendments in just one week.

Bentoff declined to discuss possible amendments. "We support the bill in its current form," he said.

AFL-CIO supports bill

The CWA local in Green Bay still supports the bill but would like to see some changes, including requirements that small towns and rural areas be provided service, said Gary Laabs, local president.

"We want the bill passed but we don't want companies like the AT&Ts and the Comcasts of the world to neglect their customers and their employees," Laabs said.

Phil Neuenfeldt, secretary-treasurer of the state AFL-CIO, said this week his organization continues to support the bill because it believes it will lead to the creation of jobs.

But it is reviewing the legislation in light of the Milwaukee communications workers' decision.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a consumer advocacy group, updated its position statement on the Wisconsin Ethics Board this week saying that while it still supports the bill, it should guarantee funding for public access channels, improve consumer protections and improve job security for telecommunications workers.

Mike Goebel, president of Communications Workers Local 4611 in Kenosha, said his union still supports the cable competition bill because it will create jobs. "It's not perfect, but if the bill's not good in three years, we can fix it," said Goebel, one of 15 lobbyists for AT&T on the bill.

Gov. Jim Doyle said if a cable competition bill is passed he wants to "be confident Wisconsin consumers will be protected." Competition within the cable industry "should drive down costs" but the potential effect on employment is not clear, he said.

State Journal reporter Judy Newman contributed to this story.