Save Access

from: Cleveland Plain Dealer

AT&T planting tree-lawn boxes, irking residents

Monday, January 15, 2007
Thomas Ott
Plain Dealer Reporter

Norm Ockuly is certain that if he plunked a refrigerator on his tree lawn and left it there, Willowick would give him a ticket and make him pay a fine.

from: Technology Daily

Democratic Gains Alter Media Ownership Debate

By David Hatch

(Tuesday, January 16) For television, radio and newspaper outlets seeking regulatory relief from the FCC, the timing of the agency's comprehensive review of ownership limits could not be worse.

To avoid the prospect of spending billions for upgrades or just red-lining entire states - Verizon opts to sell and make it someone else's problem. Given the legislative rewards the Telcos are getting - shouldn't we expect a sound national broadband plan in return?

from: DSL reports

Verizon Sells Maine, New Hampshire, & Vermont Lines

from: Fort Collins Weekly

Future of public access TV in question

Is This the Future of Fort Collins Public Access TV?
Under-funded and under-equipped, the city’s fledgling public access channel could get switched off, thanks to the FCC

Note: on top of this 1.3 billion, AT&T also raised local phone rates immediately after getting the state video franchise bill passed.

from: WOAI

Texas Phone Users Spend $1.3 billion Subsidizing Big Companies
Last Update: 1/14/2007 2:59:09 PM

A celebratory Verizon press release on their NJ roll-outs. The pricing appears to be the same as local cable offerings (is this what they mean by ‘choice and competition’)? We'd love to hear stories from NJ and elsewhere on local pricing levels, service and PEG carriage (write us at info@saveaccess.org). Verizon also introduced state franchise bills in NY and MA last week . . .

from: PR News Wire

from: Ars Technica

Rare, medium, or well-done? FCC to be grilled by Congress

1/14/2007 7:28:42 PM, by Nate Anderson

The five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission will be facing intense Congressional scrutiny over the next few months as two separate committees plan to hold hearings on the agency's conduct. With the Democrats now in power, the topic of those hearings isn't mysterious: media consolidation, network neutrality, and the AT&T/BellSouth merger.

from: The Register

How AT&T chewed up, and spat out Net Neutrality
By Andrew Orlowski

Published Wednesday 10th January 2007 20:57 GMT

Analysis It sure would be nice, but it doesn't have much chance of happening because of market power, size, etc. I think it would be real hard to do. I don't think the regulators would let that happen, in my judgment." - Ed Whitacre on the possibility of taking over BellSouth, 2005.

This letter was sent by Verizon to a 'municipal leader' in Massachusetts - but it reads like a 'Dear John' letter to the access community. Note the issues: PEG support is capped at 1% which will hurt many Massachusetts PEG acccess centers. There is no mention of iNet support (institutional networks) or possible interconnect fees. Also missing are any promise of build-out (redlining) requirements. Then there is the absurd 15 day shot clock to approve applications.

from: Boston Globe

Legislators look to increase cable TV competition Bill to speed approval process, aid Verizon

By Robert Weisman, Globe Staff | January 10, 2007

A pair of Massachusetts lawmakers is expected to introduce legislation today that would enable companies seeking to offer cable television to get approval from the state rather than cities and towns.

The bill being prepared by state Senator Steven Panagiotakos , Democrat of Lowell, and Representative James Vallee , Democrat of Franklin, would allow new cable-television providers such as Verizon Communications Inc. to bypass the current franchising process in individual communities and apply to the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy for permission to enter the cable market in one or more service areas.