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Note: AT&T's U-verse service suffered a national outage in late October, the lack of support then was as notable as what people experienced this past week.

from: Broadband Reports

AT&T's Outage Mea Culpa
Trying to correct support implosion

from: KnoxNews

AT&T negotiating with local government...in Mississippi

As AT&T tells Tennessee that it's too cumbersome to negotiate for TV franchises with each local government -- spawning an epic battle to change state law -- the company has negotiated for a local contract in suburban Memphis, according to the Commercial Appeal.

from:

from: Nashville Post

Cable industry fires broadside at AT&T Tennessee

Gregg Morton
12-06-2007 1:14 AM —

The battle over statewide video franchising took a harsh turn yesterday, when the cable industry delivered a stinging rebuke of AT&T Tennessee President Gregg Morton and those working with him to convince the General Assembly to change current law.

from: Nashville Post

AT&T Round 3: Franchise reform gets new House leader

12-04-2007 10:19 AM —

UPDATED 6:15 P.M. - Sen. Bill Ketron confirmed by mid-afternoon he will be carrying the franchise bill in the Senate, in 2008.

As originally reported:

from: MultiChannel News

AT&T, Cable Engage In Tennessee Franchising Tussle

TCTA Leader Briggs Fires Back At State Telco Leader Morton Over Reform Issues
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 12/6/2007 4:45:00 PM

Verbal sparring is already heating up in Tennessee over state franchising, even though the legislature won't return to the issue until January.

from: WPLN News

Tuesday, December 04th, 2007
AT&T Struggles to Get Message Out

The largest communications company in the world is having trouble airing ads on Tennessee’s local cable channels.

A-T-and-T’s Tennessee president Gregg Morton says the company has been trying to air informative ads about its desire to ink a statewide franchise agreement to provide cable TV services. That would take a change in current state law that now requires cable companies to negotiate individual contracts with cities and counties.

from: Nashville Post

AT&T Round 3: Franchise reform gets new House leader

By Milt Capps
12-04-2007 10:19 AM

UPDATED 6:15 P.M. - Sen. Bill Ketron confirmed by mid-afternoon he will be carrying the franchise bill in the Senate, in 2008.

As originally reported:

from: MultiChannel News

Moffett: AT$T/EchoStar Deal Doesn’t Add up

Analyst Says Merger Talk ‘Based on Flawed Premise’

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 12/3/2007 12:55:00 PM

An AT&T acquisition of EchoStar Communications doesn’t make economic or strategic sense, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

Note: TV4US is an astroturf organization paid for by the telephone companies. What they fail to mention in this press release is that Verizon just announced a 11.5% rate increase on their cable TV services (on top of a 7.5% increase earlier in 2007). There is currently no evidence in any state that competition in cable TV services has resulted in lower prices. In Tennessee, AT&T is currently trying to ram through a state video franchise for the second time.