Save Access

This information on this page is for archival purposes. Though the COPE Bill passed in the House, the Senate version of the bill stalled and never became federal law.

H.R. 5252: Referred to as COPE
Read COPE HR5252 (introduced May 2, 2006)
HR5252 Status: Approved in House Telecommunications Subcommittee Mark-up session and later in the full Commerce Committee. The Bill was passed by the House June 8th 2006.

We have some report-backs and media from Wednesday's actions!

from: Law Times

Bill Would Establish Federal Role for Cable
By Joe Crea
Legal Times
05-15-2006

In politics, as most know, 10 days can be a lifetime. Imagine, then, what can transpire in 10 years.

Back in the mid-1990s, Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, was a staunch proponent of local rights when it came to telecommunications. Now he has given his blessing to a telecom bill that would nationalize cable franchising. Under the measure, cities and municipalities would be stripped of their oversight of local cable franchises, opponents of the bill say, and the decision-making power would be transferred to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington.

AT&T certainly put a new spin on their slogan "Your World. Delivered" with the recent news (USA Today) that the company willingly turned over the phone call records of millions of citizens to the National Security Agency who requested the information without a legal warrant. The NSA is now in possession of what one employee described as the 'biggest database ever built'.

There's been much activity of late at the municipal level in response to the House and Senate Bills, a summary below. Remember that AT&T and Verizon started the whole state and national franchising push because they claimed that negotiating with local municipalities (as cable companies do) was just too burdensome and slow (for their desired business plan). The cities have a different story to tell . . .

from: National Journal
Technology Daily
House Judiciary Chairman Demands Review Of Telecom Bill

By Drew Clark

(Thursday, May 4) The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is vehement that his panel be able to review a telecommunications bill passed late last month in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

from: Digital Destiny

Telco/Cable TV lobbying Blitz Costing Nearly $1 Mil Per Week in DC Market/ Big Bucks Spent to Pave Way for Broadband Monopolies

Everyone has seen the TV ads from both the phone and cable lobby urging Congress to support their plans to control the future of the broadband Internet in the U.S. Companies such as Qwest, Comcast, Time Warner, and AT&T want to be broadband barons—with all other content providers and users reduced to serving as merely consuming digital surfs.

From Gay City News

PERSPECTIVE/ THE MEDIA

The End of ‘Gay USA’ and All Public Access TV

BY ANDY HUMM

Congress is fast-tracking a bill that would severely cut back on the obligation of cable TV companies to devote channels to public access and fund the facilities to run them. If you care at all about preserving these precious community outlets, go immediately to saveaccess.org for the latest information on the bill and how you can stop it.

From: National Journal - Technology Daily

Provisions In Senate Telecom Bill Mirror Those In House Counterpart

By Drew Clark

(Tuesday, May 2) New Senate telecommunications legislation would take away the ability of local governments to reject video franchises -- effectively granting the former regional Bell operating companies the same expedited entry into video services as proposed in a competing House bill.

from National Journal
Technology Daily

House Telecom Bill Delayed Over 'Net Neutrality' Issue

By Drew Clark

(Monday, May 1) After initially being scheduled for consideration by the full House later this week, legislation to grant the former regional Bell operating companies quick entry into the pay television market was pulled from the the week's floor schedule Monday by the Republican leadership.