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from: Ars Technica

FCC votes on cable franchise reform this Wednesday

12/18/2006 1:45:24 PM, by Nate Anderson

The rules for local video franchising could be changing this Wednesday. At the agency's open meeting this week, Commissioners will "consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding Section 621(a)(1)'s directive that local franchising authorities not unreasonably refused to award competitive franchises." If that's the sort of language that makes your eyes glaze over, then it's time to hit the coffee pot, because this could be big news for AT&T, Verizon, and other telecom firms that want to enter the television market.

from: Broadband Reports

Fighting AT&T
The battle over franchise agreements

Posted 2006-12-18 14:24:21 by Karl

If you ask telco execs, lobbyists and the FCC, local video franchise agreements are the worst kind of bureaucracy. Towns are little more than greedy parasites that make absurd demands at every opportunity and rarely have local residents' interests in mind. Telco lobbyists suggest that the existing franchise system needs a lobotomy, and by replacing the current system with statewide or federal system, they can speed up next-gen broadband and IPTV deployment.

from: Delco Times.com

12/14/2006
Verizon hits the suburbs first

Solomon D. Leach , Of the Times Staff

After Verizon announced Tuesday that it had reached franchise agreements with 100 municipalities in Pennsylvania for its fiber-optic cable-TV, the company defended its approach to offer the service to suburban communities first.

from: North Jersey.com

Verizon's North Jersey cable debut looms
Saturday, December 16, 2006

By MARTHA McKAY
STAFF WRITER

TV viewers in many North Jersey towns could get a choice of cable TV provider as early as next week.

from: Broadcasting and Cable

Washington Watch
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/18/2006

Video-Franchise Law in Neutral

Telephone companies spent millions of dollars pushing for national video-franchise reform that would allow them to more easily compete with cable in video and broadband access.

from: Broadcasting and Cable

Free Stater Weighs In

Friday, December 15, 2006

The Free State Foundation, a free market think tank in Maryland, has increasingly been weighing in on communications issues.

The latest e-mailed commentary from tank thinker Randolph May suggests that whatever Congress does or doesn't do, telcos may yet get their franchise reform one state at a time.

from: TV Technology.com

Michigan and FCC Take Up Franchise Reform
Date posted: 2006-12-15

When it comes to franchise reform, telcos are proving there's more than one way to skin the cat. Having failed to get a bill passed on Capitol Hill, telcos have brought their persuasive powers to bear on the FCC, which has scheduled a franchise vote for Dec. 20.

Microsoft is the software provider for AT&T's cable system set-top box - they stand to gain from imposed video franchise legislation.

from: Lasar Letter

Microsoft tells FCC what it wants for Christmas

by Matthew Lasar Dec 12 2006

Microsoft executives spent much of the first week of this month at the Federal Communications Commission, meeting with Commissioners and staff. Not only did they lobby for specific regulatory policies, they outlined a broad agenda for the FCC to follow in the years ahead.

from: ISP Planet

DSL Prime: Pricing Lies Continue As Bell Labs Dies

Whenever the phone companies ask the government for more money, less competition, or permission to merge, they promise more investment and innovation, but in fact they are cutting back as fast as they can.

by Dave Burstein of DSL Prime and Future of TV

from: National Journal

Michigan Lawmakers Send Bill On Video-Franchising To Governor

By Michael Martinez

(Tuesday, December 12) The Michigan legislature cleared to the governor legislation that would streamline the state's video-franchising rules.

The state Senate passed an amended version of the bill by a vote of 26-12, and the state House quickly endorsed the changes on what is expected to be the last day of the legislative session.