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from: Waxing America

November 08, 2007

Wisconsin Senate Passes "Video Competition" Bill; Defeats Amendments To Make It More Consumer-Friendly

I just consumed another entire day watching the "Video Competition" bill progress towards becoming law in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Senate debated and defeated a long series of amendments that would make the bill more consumer-friendly, more responsive to rural needs, more supportive of local PEG channels, more limiting in its terms and conditions and less of a giveaway to the cable and phone companies, and more responsive to the future importance of broadband infrastructure to our economy. Instead, the bill passed almost entirely as introduced in the Senate, and will need minimum adjusting to conform to the Assembly's version. It's a triumph for Senator Jeff Plale (D- Milwaukee), the chief Senate sponsor, and newly elected Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston), who made passage his first priority.

Recognition for their efforts to amend and improve a bad bill must go to Senators Mark Miller (D-Monona), Kathleen Vinhout (D-Alma), and Judy Robson (D-Beloit), who worked hard to convince their colleagues that they were being sold a bill of goods. Almost all the Republicans voted as a bloc against their amendments, as did several Democrats. It was a depressing process to witness, especially seeing many cable and phone company staffers and lobbyists watching their dollars at work.

Senate President Fred Risser (D-Madison) patiently and fairly presided over the session, and should be thanked for his many efforts to improve the bill in the last few months.

Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) kept straying off the GOP reservation, as he is wont to do. He kept pointing out the contradictions between what Sen. Plale was saying the bill would do, and the bill's actual language. At one point he said "Senator Decker is laughing all the way to I better not say where..." as Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) glared at him.

Special mention and a medal should go to Mary Cardona, head of the Wisconsin Association of PEG Channels, who pulled off a lobbying loaves and fishes act with meager resources and a real grass-roots coalition. Most of the PEG-related improvements from the original bill and many of the other improvements resulted from her efforts, which included a great last-minute op-ed piece in the Capital Times:

AT&T wants a license to turn a quick buck and is about to get it.

Cable wants to extract greater profits from Wisconsin by getting rid of community investment and is about to get it.

Residents should be hopping mad.

- Barry Orton