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from: Multichannel news

Barton, Deal to Hold Retrans Roundtable

By Ted Hearn
7/18/2006

House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) is planning to hold a roundtable discussion Wendesday afternoon on carriage negotiations between local TV stations and cable and satellite TV operators, also known as retransmission consent, according to industry lobbyists.

from: NewsDay

Cable TV sues to overturn decision favoring AT&T
July 19, 2006, 8:46 PM EDT

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) _ The battle between the cable television industry and AT&T over expanded video service went to federal court on Wednesday.

from: Sacramento Bee

Cable bill's picture is fuzzy

By Jim Sanders -- Bee Capitol Bureau

Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, July 16, 2006

Propelled by powerful lawmakers and big-money corporations, California is on the verge of drastically changing the state's cable television industry, but here's a warning from critics of the 20-page proposal: Read the fine print. The legislation, one of the year's most fiercely contested measures, would allow AT&T and Verizon to obtain a statewide franchise to compete in the huge home entertainment market by offering a "triple play" of phone, video and Internet service.

from: Digital Destiny

AT&T as Ma Censor: Playing the `Indecency’ Card in its Anti-Net Neutrality Campaign

July 15th, 2006

In a reflection of how desperate AT&T’s executives are to stave off an open broadband medium in the U.S., the former SBC is willing to use any tactic—no matter how despicable and dangerous. It appears that AT&T is now seeking to inflame conservative family groups, as well as parents in general, by claiming that network neutrality will usher in a torrent of what it deems to be inappropriate content. Communications Daily reports that an AT&T spokesperson confirmed that:

Note the quote below about lack of full internet access via AT&T’s HomeZone internet service. Also remember that AT&T's privacy statement allows them to track and record the sites that users visit via their system, information that AT&T considers corporate property. This should be a very popular service – we can’t wait to pay to have our access limited and our privacy violated!

from: Broadband Reports

from: Technology Daily

Senate Panel Rallying Industry In Support Of Telecom Measure

By David Hatch

(Wednesday, July 19) The leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee is quietly rallying industry troops to lobby hard for passage of massive telecommunications legislation adopted by the panel in late June after a marathon three-day markup.

from: Technology Daily

Broadcasters Want Senators To Follow House Telecom Lead

By Drew Clark

(Wednesday, July 12) Broadcasters say they stand to lose if the telecommunications legislation that cleared the Senate Commerce Committee June 28 becomes law, a position that puts another powerful interest group against the expansive approach taken in the Senate.

from: Technology Daily

Wyden Warns Of Market Domination Without 'Net Neutrality' Provisions

By David Hatch

(Friday, July 14) Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., painted a grim portrait of an Internet dominated by telecom and cable giants if legislation approved late last month by the Senate Commerce Committee legislation is enacted into law.

from: Examiner

Federal bill threatens existence of new public access channel

Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
Jul 18, 2006

Carroll County - The Community Media Center is launching a new public channel that will feature Carroll County’s towns at a time when legislation making its way through Congress threatens the very existence of public access channels nationwide, public TV advocates say.

from: Public Knowledge

A Duopoly By Any Other Name...

by Art Brodsky on July 10, 2006

As we head into what could be the end-game for telecom legislation this year, Kagan Research has come up with some fascinating insights into just how narrow the broadband market really is.

We’ve argued that broadband is a duopoly, with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) statistics showing that just about everyone who has broadband gets it from either the telephone company or the cable company. The FCC has affirmatively pursued the policy of creating this situation, and it’s one of the main reasons we need a Net Neutrality policy. There is no real choice.