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Local governments oppose the proposed Communication, Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE) and say national franchising would limit video competition to well-to-do neighborhoods, threaten local budgets, and undermine their ability to protect their residents and manage public rights of way.

An unprecedented coalition of organizations representing U.S. cities have issued the following joint statements. The coalition includes; National League of Cities (NLC), US Conference on Mayors, National Association of Counties, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA), Government Finance Officers Association, National Conference of Black Mayors and the International Municipal Lawyers Association.

Documents:
Coalition Letter to Congress (PDF)
Truth Versus Telephone Industry Spin (PDF)

Local Governments Urge Congress to Vote 'No'
04/28/06 SOURCE

The telecom reform bill, as it now stands, will, in effect, silence the voices of consumers and local governments. If enacted, consumers will be at the mercy of telecommunication giants and the federal government when faced with concerns about their television and advanced Internet services. This measure leaves the door wide open for service providers to pick and choose which neighborhoods get premium services and which get no service at all. Local governments continue to urge Congress to protect our taxpaying consumers and maintain local government oversight of service providers. We urge them to vote "no" on the COPE bill when it comes before the House. Specific concerns are:

• The bill strips local governments of their authority to franchise the use of public rights-of-way for video/cable services and gives that authority to the federal government. The FCC has never had the authority to regulate local public rights-of-way and has no expertise concerning local streets, sidewalks, public safety or traffic patterns.

• The bill gives the federal government the authority to oversee and second-guess all local rights-of-way management practices and all customer service issues.

• The bill allows broadband-video service providers to pick and choose which neighborhoods they want to serve while bypassing all others completely. The bill would even allow broadband/video providers to avoid maintaining or upgrading facilities in poorer neighborhoods while affluent neighborhoods receive cutting-edge services and lower prices.

Local governments want their consumers to have meaningful competitive services – not higher rates and no consumer recourse.

Sent by the National League of Cities, the US Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, Government Finance Officers Association, the Intermunicipal Lawyers Association, TeleCommUnity, and the National Conference of Black Mayors.

Contacts: Sherry Conway Appel, NLC, 202-626-3003; Elena Temple, USCM, 202-861-6719; Jim Philipps, NACO, 202-942-4220; Libby Beaty, NATOA, 703-519-8039