Save Access

from: Beloit Daily News

Guest commentary
Posted: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 11:24:26 am CST
By Senator Judy Robson

Wisconsin deserves better cable bill

Since the dawn of broadcasting, the public interest has struggled with commercial interests for use of our public airwaves.

The government decides how much control of the airwaves to hand over to private corporations, and how much control to retain in the hands of the people. So far, control has gone largely to the corporations.

A few bones have been thrown to the people in the form of public television and radio, public access cable stations, and public service announcements. But by and large, our public airways are wholly owned by corporations whose primary interest is maximizing profits.

CONSUMERS GET stuck paying ever-increasing prices for channels they don't want in order to get a few channels they do want. People are clamoring for change - for more options and lower prices, and more control over price and options.

In swoops AT&T with legislation it claims will provide more options and bring down prices. AT&T calls it the “cable competition” bill. A more apt name is “cable deregulation.”

The bill may create competition in some markets. But the areas that are most in need of cable and Internet options - rural and low-income urban neighborhoods - will continue to be bypassed. The Legislature could have added requirements to wire more of these areas, but it did not.

That was but one reason I voted against the bill. Another reason is that no legislation was needed for AT&T to start competing with cable companies. AT&T can do that now, and is doing it now. But the company didn't want to negotiate licenses with each community. The bill gives AT&T a statewide license. I believe that government closest to the people is usually the most efficient.

ANOTHER SERIOUS flaw is that the bill gives regulatory power to the Department of Financial Institutions. This is the state agency that regulates banks. The reason AT&T and cable companies want regulatory power with DFI is because they want no regulatory oversight.

If this provision becomes law, when you have a problem with your video service provider, instead of calling City Hall, you now have to find a bank regulator to listen to your complaints.

The Senate could have improved the bill with amendments to give regulatory power to the Public Service Commission, to beef up consumer protections, and to issue 10-year licenses rather than licenses into perpetuity. But these amendments were defeated.

I offered an amendment requiring customer service call centers to be located in Wisconsin. Anyone who has ever tried to resolve a dispute through a call center in another country knows how frustrating and futile that can be. My amendment to keep jobs in Wisconsin was defeated.

I offered an amendment that would have required the state to evaluate annually whether consumers are getting the benefits that the law was supposed to provide. This too was defeated.

ALSO DEFEATED was an amendment to protect funding for public access channels - those stations that bring us city council and school board meetings, candidate forums and local concerts.

The loss of public access channels will be one more loss for the people in the struggle between corporate interests and the public interest.

AT&T pulled out all stops to push this bill through the Legislature. The company hired 15 lobbyists. It orchestrated telephone and postcard campaigns to legislators' offices. On the day the Senate took up the bill, the president of AT&T was roaming the halls of the Capitol shoring up votes.

This legislation is clearly good for AT&T. But what's good for AT&T is not necessarily good for Wisconsin consumers.

Illinois enacted a video competition bill with strong consumer protections, requirements to wire 90 percent of the state, and protection for public access television.

Wisconsin could have done the same and had a much better bill.

Senator Robson (D-Beloit) represents most of Rock County and the Whitewater area in the State Senate.