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from: MultiChannel News

AT&T, Cable Engage In Tennessee Franchising Tussle

TCTA Leader Briggs Fires Back At State Telco Leader Morton Over Reform Issues
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 12/6/2007 4:45:00 PM

Verbal sparring is already heating up in Tennessee over state franchising, even though the legislature won't return to the issue until January.

from: MLive.com

Comcast public channels go digital
Friday, December 07, 2007
By Dave Alexander
dalexander@muskegonchronicle.com with Chronicle News Service reports

Just like George Jefferson of 1970s sitcom fame, Muskegon area public access television channels "are movin' on up."

from: Grand Rapids Press

Comcast pushes public access into digital tier
Friday, December 07, 2007
By Chris Knape

GRAND RAPIDS -- Some Comcast subscribers may be seeing black next month when a handful of their channels move out of their regular lineup.

On Jan. 15, the Grand Rapids area's largest cable provider will shuttle its public access, education and government broadcasts from analog cable channels 24-28 to its digital system somewhere around channel 900.

from: Rocky Mountain News

Qwest's push for cable-TV bill gets an ally

By Jeff Smith, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Thursday, December 6, 2007

Qwest is taking another stab at statewide cable-TV franchise legislation, this time with a key Democrat in its corner.

from: WPLN News

Tuesday, December 04th, 2007
AT&T Struggles to Get Message Out

The largest communications company in the world is having trouble airing ads on Tennessee’s local cable channels.

A-T-and-T’s Tennessee president Gregg Morton says the company has been trying to air informative ads about its desire to ink a statewide franchise agreement to provide cable TV services. That would take a change in current state law that now requires cable companies to negotiate individual contracts with cities and counties.

Note: Missing from this fluff press release is the fact that Verizon is raising cable TV rates 11.5% this year, on top of a 7.5% increase last year - far greater than the increases of competing cable companies. The promise of lower rates that originally led to the Florida state video franchise, simply aren't happening.

from: CNN Money

from: Nashville Post

AT&T Round 3: Franchise reform gets new House leader

By Milt Capps
12-04-2007 10:19 AM

UPDATED 6:15 P.M. - Sen. Bill Ketron confirmed by mid-afternoon he will be carrying the franchise bill in the Senate, in 2008.

As originally reported:

Note: Congress awakening from it's deep sleep?

from: Broadcasting & Cable

Senate Commerce Committee Passes Bill to Block FCC’s Dec. 18 Vote

Dorgan Aide: Bill to Block Media-Ownership Vote Has Support from Both Parties

By John Eggerton
12/4/2007 4:16:00 PM

The Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to block a Federal Communications Commission vote Dec. 18 on loosening its ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership.

from: MultiChannel News

Moffett: AT$T/EchoStar Deal Doesn’t Add up

Analyst Says Merger Talk ‘Based on Flawed Premise’

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 12/3/2007 12:55:00 PM

An AT&T acquisition of EchoStar Communications doesn’t make economic or strategic sense, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

Note: TV4US is an astroturf organization paid for by the telephone companies. What they fail to mention in this press release is that Verizon just announced a 11.5% rate increase on their cable TV services (on top of a 7.5% increase earlier in 2007). There is currently no evidence in any state that competition in cable TV services has resulted in lower prices. In Tennessee, AT&T is currently trying to ram through a state video franchise for the second time.