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from: CANTV

Don't Let AT&T Break the Connections That Hold Us Together!

Illinois House Bill 1500, backed by AT&T, is harmful to the people of Illinois and threatens public access stations like CAN TV.

Go to www.keepusconnected.org to learn more and find out how you can help.

click here to watch
the March 22 press conference with opponents to HB1500.

LISTEN to the Illinois House Telecommunications
Committee hearings on HB 1500:

click here for March 8 hearing with AT&T representatives

click here for CAN TV Executive Director Barbara Popovic's testimony at the March 15 hearing.

click here for March 15 hearing with Verizon, followed by PEG Access

click here for materials City of Naperville used in its presentation for the hearing on March 22

On Thursday, March 22, the Keep Us Connected Coalition hosted this press conference to oppose Illinois House Bill 1500.

This AT&T-backed legislation abandons many public interest benefits and consumer protections which come through existing video franchising laws.

It also threatens Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access stations.

Video: Press Conference to Oppose HB 1500

watch it at Google Video

from: Chicago Access Network Television
43 min 33 sec - Mar 23, 2007
www.keepusconnected.org

from: Business Wire

City of Naperville Testifies Against Illinois House Bill 1500

March 27, 2007 05:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time

House Telecommunications Committee Agrees to Amend Bill

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The City of Naperville continued its opposition to Illinois House Bill 1500, the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007, through testimony before the House Telecommunications Committee on March 22. As a result, the Committee Chairman declared that HB 1500 will be amended.

from: Peoria Chronicle

Almost a year later, and still no cable franchise agreement

Cable TVOn April 15, 2006, Peoria’s 20-year cable franchise agreement with Insight Communications expired. As of today, we still have no cable franchise agreement, but City Attorney Randy Ray is hopeful that we will soon. In an e-mail I received in response to my question on how negotiations were going, he said this:

from: Surburban Chicago News

Cities lining up to fight state control of cable TV

March 18, 2007
By STEVE LORD and Heather Gillers STAFF WRITERS

GENEVA -- Pete Collins is wearing a path between here and Springfield.

The information technology person for the city of Geneva is one of many representing municipalities throughout the state at hearings in the State Capitol about House Bill 1500, known as the Cable and Video Competition Law of 2007.

From City of Geneva, March 20, 2007

Illinois Municipal Broadband Communications Association letter of opposition to HB 1500

March 20, 2007

Dear Chairman Brosnahan & Members of the Telecommunications Committee:

My name is Peter Collins and I am the President of the Illinois Municipal Broadband Communications Association, as well as the Information Technologies Manager for the City of Geneva and a citizen of Batavia, Illinois.

from: Rockford Register Star

AT&T Backs IIlinois Video Franchise Legislation

From Rockford Register Star, March 21, 2007
By Kiyoshi Martinez

Two communication industry behemoths are battling over how TV programming gets to Illinois homes.

On one side, AT&T wants to re-enter the broadband market and compete directly with cable companies to supply video services — a market worth $32 billion nationally in 2006.

from: http://www.keepusconnected.org/

Hearing on House Bill 1500 Thursday, March 22

As Illinois faces changes to video franchise laws, the Keep Us Connected coalition urges state legislators to protect the public interest.

By joining the Keep Us Connected coalition, you are supporting pro-community video franchise laws that:

from: Broadband Reports

Locals Fight AT&T Franchise Push in Illinois
State versus local control...

Posted 2007-03-19 09:26:08 by Karl

We've discussed at length the battles between AT&T and local towns in Illinois who've been annoyed at AT&T's refusal to adhere to the local franchise system as they deploy IPTV. Some towns have been annoyed by the placement of large AT&T VDSL cabinets, some are concerned primarily about revenue and others don't like that AT&T will be ignoring build-out requirements (see our interview with Peter Collins, Geneva, IL, IT chief).