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from: Broadcasting and Cable

Cable Gets Video-Franchise Relief from FCC

Order Prevents Local Authorities from 'Unreasonably Refusing to Award Competitive Cable Franchises'
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/31/2007 10:48:00 AM

In a 3-2 vote with Democrats Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein dissenting, the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday extended immediate video-franchise relief to incumbent cable operators.

Note: nice piece - the last mile for most rural communities will never see the light of day on a telco or cableco business plan - it will be the cities and municipalities that serve their residents.

from: The New Dominion

A last mile in their shoes: Rural communities struggle to get even broadband footing

from: REALLY ROCKET SCIENCE

Bringing IPTV to Market: The Legal Front
Sebadoh – Tue, 2007 – 10 – 30 14:09

Local cable franchises, eager to maintain their control over delivery of content to local markets, have been fighting IPTV entrants everywhere.

In response, Verizon has chosen the strategy of pursuing state-wide franchises for a couple of years now. In New Jersey:

From: Tennessean

Should AT&T Be Able to Receive a Statewide Video Franchise?

October 25, 2007

Should AT&T be allowed to rewrite Tennessee law? No.

Here’s one reason, based on legislation AT&T offered this year, legislation in other states and reports from other states: Many Tennessee cities and towns have at least one public, educational or governmental (PEG) access channel. There are thousands of PEG channels across America. Very nearly every version of AT&T legislation offered or passed in other states does violence to those channels.

from: SY-R.com

AT&T wins statewide franchise

By TIM LANDIS
BUSINESS EDITOR

Published Tuesday, October 30, 2007

A barely one-page finding from an administrative law judge could mean new consumer choices in cable and video early next year in Illinois — or, at least, that is how supporters of a cable-reform law hope it works out.

On October 31, Halloween, the FCC is holding the last of its public hearings on 'localism' in media. Free Press, Prometheus Radio and others will be holding a rally outside the FCC beginning at 9:00 am, that is expected to continue until the hearing begins.

We'd also like to point out that the Wednesday agenda also includes a "Second Report and Order" concerning local video franchises and incumbent cable companies. We expect that the FCC will issue the same order they did on behalf of the telephone companies last December, which placed greater restraints and limitations on municipalities in determining appropriate local video franchises for their communities. According to the ACM, NLC, NATOA and ACD; "the FCC is expected to rule that existing cable operators can, under certain circumstances, back out of key provisions in their current franchise contracts with local governments, renegotiate lower municipal fees, and reduce the benefits they currently provide to the public."

from: Broadcasting and Cable

The Rev. Jesse Jackson to Headline FCC Localism Hearing
FCC Chairman Martin Promised Hearing as Part of Media-Ownership-Rule Push

By John Eggerton
Broadcasting & Cable, 10/29/2007 5:37:00 PM

Rainbow/PUSH Coalition founder the Rev. Jesse Jackson will be among the headliners at a localism hearing at the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday.

from: Laser's Letter

An Overwhelming Need for Access

From Lasar’s Letter, October 29, 2007
By Matthew Lasar

This month, the long anticipated application window for Non-Commercial Educational (NCE) radio stations opened and closed. After years of waiting, the Federal Communications Commission let filers apply for these stations from Friday, October 12th through Friday the 19th. Scores of big signal non-commercial frequencies across the United States and its territories are up for grabs. But nobody knows yet precisely how many community, Native American, and religious groups submitted applications for these licenses during that brief period.

from: Free Press

Public to Rally for Better Media Outside FCC Headquarters

From Free Press, October 29, 2007

Local citizens concerned about media consolidation will rally outside of Federal Communications Commission headquarters during the agency’s hearing on localism on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The hearing was announced just five business days prior to the event and follows reports that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is rushing to eliminate longstanding media ownership limits before the end of the year.

from: Gotham Gazette's TechNewsletter

Censored by Verizon

When NARAL Pro-Choice America applied to Verizon Wireless for a code so it could send text messages to Verizon subscribers who wanted to receive them, the organization never expected that the wireless provider would deny its request. AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, which share almost the entire U.S. market with Verizon, had shown no hesitation signing NARAL up for the five-digit "short code."