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from: Madison.com

Bill Moyers Journal seeks the 'teletruth' about cable deregulation

Show to shadow watchdog group founder today

Judith Davidoff — 11/08/2007 9:02 am

The cable deregulation bill before the state Senate today is drawing national attention.

A film crew and reporter from Bill Moyers Journal will be in Madison to cover the vote and to shadow Cynthia Laitman, the co-founder of the statewide chapter of TeleTruth, a telecommunications watchdog group.

Moyers' media correspondent Rick Karr said in a phone interview from New York Wednesday night that he was drawn to the debate in Wisconsin because it forms an evocative backdrop for looking at the "ways in which laws are made these days."

He said he is especially interested in exploring the impact of "Astroturf" groups on legislative debates and identifying instances where corporate interests are able to co-opt unlikely allies. (Astroturf groups are industry-front groups that work to shape public opinion by appearing to have grassroots support.)

The story that unraveled in Wisconsin over the cable bill is compelling, he added, because it's not just about "who controls your cable system, it's also about who controls your Internet."

Both Moyers and Karr have long been interested in media issues. "The Net at Risk," a 90-minute documentary by Moyers and Karr on the attempts by corporate America to limit access to the Internet, was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Business and Financial Reporting.

Karr said he confirmed with state Senate officials that he would be able to bring his cameras into all public areas of the Capitol, including the Senate chambers. He would need permission from individual legislators to film in their offices, however.

The proposed video franchise bill, co-authored by Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, and Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, would dissolve the decades-long practice of local communities awarding cable franchises. Video providers would instead pay $2,000 for a statewide license that has no expiration date.

Supporters of the bill say the change is necessary to introduce competition and new technology to the state, lower prices and drive economic development.

Critics, including Laitman, charge the AT&T-backed bill would dissolve consumer protections, threaten the viability of public access stations and allow telecommunications providers to serve only dense and wealthy parts of the state.

The bill has been heavily lobbied by AT&T, whose stable of lobbyists included for a short time Joe Wineke, the state chairman of the Democratic Party. Wineke gave up the lobbying work after members of his party and the press raised questions about a potential conflict of interest.

There has also been considerable controversy over the Wisconsin chapter of TV4US, which drummed up support for the bill with slick advertising campaigns and which gave all members of the state legislature a thick binder containing the names of constituents in favor of the bill. Subsequent news accounts revealed that the binders contained the names of several individuals opposed to the legislation, including state Reps. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, and Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Verona.

Judith Davidoff — 11/08/2007 9:02 am