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from: Variety

Congressional probe targets Martin
Investigation targets FCC chairman
By WILLIAM TRIPLETT

Having recently angered almost everybody, Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin J. Martin is now the target of a congressional investigation into whether he is abusing his authority and if his leadership has led to "a breakdown in proper procedure at the FCC."

from: Light Reading

AT&T Parties Like It's 1999

NOVEMBER 29, 2007

"You're seeing what was promised in the 90s happen now."
- Randall Stephenson, Chairman & CEO, AT&T

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It's like the 90s all over again, as AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T - message board) chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said last night that AT&T has used up last decade's excess network capacity and is building for a flood of new demand coming in.

from: KnoxNews

AT&T statewide cable franchise round 2: KNS already in their pocket

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2007/12/03 - 9:31am.

The AT&T statewide cable franchise bill is headed back to the Tennessee legislature. Not surprisingly, the Knoxville News Sentinel has once again taken the pro-big business, anti-consumer anti-local government position and endorsed it (see below).

from: Telephony Online

The rise and fall of cable
By Carol Wilson

Dec 3, 2007 5:46 PM

This year's stumble by cable stocks, which are down about 25% even after last week's FCC-inspired rally, continues to puzzle me.

The industry has done a far better job than its chief rivals, the telcos, of delivering triple-play bundles to the majority of its customers and has already made significant inroads in signing up voice customers. Yet Wall Street is apparently convinced that AT&T and Verizon pose a significant threat to cable's video franchise revenues.

from: Monroe Times

Local TV could go dark
Published Monday, December 3, 2007 11:28:56 AM Central Time

By Jim Winter

newseditor@
themonroetimes.com

MONROE -- Earlier this month, the state Senate passed a cable competition bill. The Assembly passed the bill before that.

Once the legislature comes up with a unified bill, Gov. Jim Doyle will have to sign it into law. He generally supports the bill.

from: Times Herald

Comcast wrong to fiddle with public access

State law harms communities' ability to watch local government

Just when television broadcasts of the new Port Huron City Council's sessions promised to be interesting, Comcast soon will make them more difficult - and eventually more costly - to see.

from: Times Herald

Comcast stations to shut down
Municipalities are left scrambling to produce broadcasts

By SHANNON MURPHY
Times Herald

Local municipalities, such as Port Huron and Marysville, have been scrambling this week to make sure their city council meetings still will be broadcast on public access channels next year.

from: Nieman Watchdog

How much of your state’s legislation is being drafted by industry?

ASK THIS | November 30, 2007

The American Legislative Council, or ALEC, lets corporations cultivate legislators and win support for industry-written bills while not technically breaking lobbying rules – and paying no taxes. (First of two articles)

from: The Onion

November 28, 2007 | Issue 43•48
FCC Eyeing Cable Regulation

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on placing a number of restrictions and regulations on the unregulated cable industry. Here are some of the proposed changes.

from: Hartford Business

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
AT&T Got Special Favor

12/03/07

To The Editor:

I take this opportunity as the state’s Consumer Counsel to address several inaccuracies in a letter to the editor filed on Nov. 12, 2007 by AT&T’s president in response to an editorial in the Journal (“Scrambled Signals,” October 29, 2007). This is a situation in which AT&T’s cries about fairness ring false: the loser here will be the state’s video services consumers and indeed the market for those services itself. AT&T has spent millions of dollars in a campaign around the country selling legislatures and regulators on the magic that could result from freeing it from regulation, without mentioning that where this one company “wins,” consumers and its competitors must necessarily lose.