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from: Knox Views

Cable Committee summary

Submitted by Mark Harmon on Wed, 2007/04/04

Knox County Cable Committee met April 4, 2007, 8:30-9:30 am in Room 640 of the City County Bldg. Chair Mike Hammond was present. I was there, I'm vice chair. Also present: Commissioners R. Larry Smith, Josh Jordan, and Lee Tramel. The group discussed and unanimously passed my resolution below:

from: 411 Productions

Is Public Access Under Fire by AT&T U-Verse?

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Public Access Producers in San Antonio Texas have been in a long battle over keeping Public Access Television alive in Texas. We monitor what goes on at the City and State level. Since San Antonio was the 1st city to be impacted by changes to telecommunications laws in Texas we are the crash-test dummies for what will happen to the rest of Texas and the U.S. when it comes to Public Access Channels.

from: Denver Post

Suit by cities, counties may hinder Qwest cable TV goal

By John Dunbar
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/03/2007 11:06:54 PM MDT

Washington - Local governments across the country went to court Tuesday to challenge federal rules intended to spur competition in the cable television industry.

from: Worcester Community Cable Access

Verizon working their lobbyist. Beward of scam articles and editorials

by mauro on April 3, 2007 - 2:31pm.

Recently a number of one sided articles and editorials have popped up in various news papers across the state including the Worcester Telegram calling attention to Verizon's lobbying efforts to change state legislation in order to eliminate local cable franchise authority and regulations that currently provide many tax free benefits to residents in our city.

Note: Statewide video franchising passed in Virginia in 2006. In this first phase of service roll-outs, Verizon is said to be red-lining low income communities in two major cities.

from: Daily Press

Verizon: There's a new competitor in town

Note: below are excerpts from the full bulletin

from: Mondaq News

United States: Communications Law Bulletin -- March, 2007

04 April 2007
Article by Charles H. Kennedy

The Month in Brief

Among other developments in the month of March, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held rescheduled oversight hearings of the Federal Communications Commission (the "FCC" or the "Commission"). This was the first time in four years that the full panel of FCC commissioners had appeared before Committee members, and Democratic members had harsh words for the Commission generally and Chairman Martin in particular.

from: Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

City, towns oppose state control of cable companies

By Tasha Kates/katest@gnnewspaper.com

Town boards in the Town of Lockport and Pendleton approved resolutions Tuesday night opposing two state bills that would take cable out of the municipalities’ hands.

From: The Business Ledger

‘Clash of Wills’ as AT&T Makes $4.6 Billion Cable Move

April 4, 2007

Promising increased competition and consumer advocacy, AT&T is investing $4.6 billion in a national move into the cable industry, yet many area municipalities have accused the telecommunications giant of pursuing anything but fair competition.

From: Columbus Free Press

On the State Level: Access to Local Media Threatened by Ohio Bill

April 4, 2007
By Rich James

As big media faces a more public-interest oriented Congress, some public policy battles are moving to state legislatures. Phone giants interested in entering the video market want to get rid of local franchising, the locale-by-locale permission to use public right-of-ways that cable companies have had to secure.

From: Columbia Tribune

City Fears Big Losses in Tax Cut

April 3, 2007
By Matthew LeBlanc

A proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution to limit how much cities can tax telephone companies would cost Columbia nearly $1 million annually, officials said.

House Joint Resolution 21 would send to voters a measure that prohibits cities from taxing phone companies more than they charge for business licenses.