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from: The Tennessean

AT&T bill clears first hurdle in House

By NAOMI SNYDER
Staff Writer
March 5, 2008

Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta, who complained he was "left standing at the altar" by AT&T during the last legislative session, was able to get his alternative AT&T bill passed through state House subcommittee Tuesday.

from: Multichannel News

Indiana’s TV Law Lauded
by Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 3/3/2008

Ball State University researchers said Indiana’s 2006 telecommunications-reform bill has advanced the deployment of video and broadband services in the state, a finding disputed by incumbent cable operators.

from The Business Journal

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 2:55 PM CST
Cable providers in Wisconsin seek statewide franchises
The Business Journal of Milwaukee

Five Wisconsin cable and video service providers - Charter Communications Inc., Time Warner Cable, AT&T Inc., CenturyTel and Comcast Cable - have applied for statewide video franchises under legislation passed last year.

Note: It's hard to imagine a worse corporate citizen than AT&T. They offer the same same service in every state, but resort to every means available to wriggle out of public interest obligations. In Connecticut they tried to pass U-verse off as a data service to avoid local video franchise obligations. In 19 other states, AT&T has written legislation that all but eliminates the existing public interest obligations of local video franchises. Now in Alabama, they cite a 1900 telegraph agreement and claim their agreements to be "public benefits video agreements" (sans benefits).

Note: AT&T cries "competition=lower prices" in the cable TV market so they can get public interest set-asides removed for their entry into that market. Meanwhile in other markets where they have monopoly control over network infrastructure - they raise prices at will.

from: Broadband Reports

Note: Unlike AT&T, Verizon doesn't demand public interest concessions via state video franchises before upgrading their network, in fact Verizon seems to have had no problem negotiating hundreds of local franchises in MA, PA and NY. Perhaps AT&T should attend a communications seminar at Verizon?

from: Boston.com

from: Chattanoogan

Tennessee AT&T President Sees Need For Video Franchise Reform
by Dana Wilbourn
posted February 28, 2008

Click to Enlarge
Photo by Dana Wilbourn
Gregg Morton, president of AT&T in Tennessee
Gregg Morton, president of AT&T in Tennessee, told the Chattanooga Rotary Club on Thursday that there is a need for video franchise reform in Tennessee. “It’s time for competition, choice, and better pricing for Tennesseans,” he said.

from: Bitch Slappin'

Connect Tennessee and the Battle over State Franchising

There’s another AT&T sponsored Cable Franchising Bill in Tennessee, this one being pushed by the Telecom Astroturf group “Connected Tennessee“. It’s not the only Tennessee Cable Franchise bill, but it is the one getting the most press and attention, probably because of the dough that’s being slung around, and now that telecom money is being handed out to Democrats, much to the chagrin of the Repuglycans, who seem to be running on a budget these days.

from: Riedel Communications

Friday, February 29, 2008
Blind Alleys

There are people who have contributed greatly to your personal welfare that you will never hear about. One of those is Marston Bates. He studied mosquitoes in South America and his work improved the understanding of yellow fever. You gotta like a guy like that, somebody who does original and actual research. Bates didn’t take himself too seriously either. He is attributed with saying “Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.”

from: Daily News journal

Kimbrell: AT&T bill holds key to future
By ED KIMBRELL

For the past few weeks, behind closed doors at the state Capitol, American Telephone and Telegraph, Comcast cable, the Tennessee Municipal League, and selected legislators have been trying to forge a tortured compromise about the Internet's future in the state.