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from: Chicago Business

AT&T ready to take on Comcast on TV

By John Pletz
Oct. 13, 2007

AT&T Inc. is laying the groundwork for an assault on Comcast Corp.'s local cable TV monopoly starting this spring, perhaps as soon as April.

Having cleared the legislative hurdles that stood in the way of offering TV here, AT&T is now sprucing up its network of roughly 65 local stores; hiring construction, engineering and call-center staffers, and building out the fiber-optic network needed to deliver its U-verse TV service.

From: New Haven Register

Town at Odds with AT&T over U-Verse
by Luther Turmelle
North Bureau Chief

WALLINGFORD - Democratic Councilman Michael
Brodlinsky told his colleagues on the Town Council
Tuesday night that he is concerned the town's three
local cable access channels [sic] are getting
short-changed by AT&T's new television service
offering.

Brodlinsky said AT&T's U-Verse television service -

from: Journal Newspaper

Cable cost for city will increase

October 11, 2007
Molly Tippen
Staff Writer

The cost of keeping cable television and Internet hook-ups at Romulus City Hall will increase because of the extensive cable franchising agreement signed into law last year.

from: Republican American

Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:24 PM EDT

Battle over AT&T's U-verse TV service rages on

BY DAVID KRECHEVSKY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

The legal battle over AT&T's U-verse television service continued this week on two fronts, with each side now looking to have competing rulings tossed out.

from: Times Free Press

Cable TV drama ready for new season in state Legislature

By Dave Flessner and Jason Reynolds
Staff Writers

AT&T Corp. is hoping for a fresh start in the Tennessee Legislature next year when it mounts its second attempt to be able to add video services across Tennessee under a single franchise agreement, the company's new Tennessee president said Wednesday.

from: Times Free Press

Dueling video
Thursday, October 11, 2007

By Jason M. Reynolds and Dave Flessner
Staff Writers

Three companies soon may be fighting to plug their wires into Chattanooga homes to provide telephone, video and Internet services through lucrative "triple play" offers that bundle two or more communications packages.

from: Times Free Press

AT&T to push for franchise rights again
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

By Dave Flessner and Jason M. Reynolds
Staff Writers

Phone giant AT&T plans to mount a second legislative attempt in January to gain statewide franchising authority to add video services across Tennessee, an executive said today.

from: Fierce IPTV

Connecticut Franchise Battle Continues

October 9, 2007

The attorney general in Connecticut is not backing down in his quest to make sure AT&T’s U-verse is subject to the same requirements as cable TV operations. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s latest volley is a public request that AT&T’s franchise application be rejected, which seems counterintuitive on its face. Blumenthal fought to make AT&T obtain a franchise license from the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control in August. The PUC was all about letting AT&T slide, but a federal judge suggested otherwise.

from: Multichannel News

Iowa Judge Nixes New Fees

(Multichannel News) _ A Polk County, Iowa, judge has struck down a portion of the state's newly minted state franchising bill, asserting that a clause retroactively allowing cities to collect franchise fees in excess of the actual cost of regulation is unconstitutional.

Note: In states where state video franchises have passed or are pending, many cable companies have stalled or refused to honor existing local franchise agreements. This results in access centers losing anticipated operating revenue and having to resort to court battles, a reduction in services or closure.

from: Columbian Missourian