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From: The Tennessean

Tennessee Towns Offer Cable as a New Civic Necessity

April 3, 2007
By Naomi Snyder

Meg Montgomery thought at first it was a little odd that she was getting her cable TV service from the municipal electric company.

“But then I thought about it and they have the (utility) lines, they have the customer service and it seems like a natural market for them to tap into,” said the 33-year-old Jackson, Tenn., resident.

from: KCRG News

Dubuque Concerned About Proposed Cable Bill

A bill moving through the statehouse has city leaders in Dubuque on the edge of their seats.

The bill would give the state control over negotiating deals with cable television providers.

Every other Monday night the City of Dubuque broadcasts its council meetings live on the city's public access channel.

from: Las Vegas Business Press

Proposed laws could boost competition in pay-TV
BY IAN MYLCHREEST

A legislative deal that would open up the cable TV business to phone companies was unveiled in the Legislature last week and it came with the backing of major players on both sides. AB 526 would establish a statewide video-franchise process that would end the practice of municipalities granting long-term franchises to a single cable TV provider.

from: On Milwaukee

Video and cable debate heats up in Madison

By jfoust
Published April 2, 2007 at 3:17 p.m.

On March 27, 2007, a joint hearing took place at the Capitol to discuss a proposed "Video Competition" bill AB-207/SB-107. The hearing room overflowed with citizens deeply concerned about the threats posed by this bill. Most were associated with small-town "public access-governmental-educational" (PEG) channels. The proponents of the bill were associated with AT&T, their lobbyists, large business organizations like WMC, or the unions of workers who'd get the jobs associated with new video build-outs.

from: Appleton Post-Crescent

Editorial: Cable TV bill isn't best deal for consumers

If competition means lower prices for cable TV services, a bill in the state Legislature could be a benefit to consumers.

But competition isn't the only thing this bill would allow — and that's why it wouldn't be a good deal in the end.

Note: This is the spin Freedom Works is putting on municiplaities that are trying to protect local control of "right of way" and home rule.

from: PR Newswire

Public Officials Using Tax Dollars to Lobby for Higher Cable TV Rates

Tennessee Consumers Harmed by Outdated Laws; Cable Rates Artificially High

from: Dayton Politics

April 1, 2007
Jacobson Moves to Give AT&T Eminent Domain Powers

There’s finally a Legislative Reference Service bill analysis posted for Senate Bill 117, AT&T’s bill to eliminate local cable franchising in Ohio.

The bill substitutes a state-issued “Video Service Authorization”, or “VSA”, for local cable TV franchises. The LRS analysis says in paragraph four:

from: CCTV

Verizon Presses Hard to Change Cable Franchising in the Commonwealth

Verizon, having failed to change cable franchising in Congress, is now pushing state legislation that would remove local control over the public rights of way and threaten funding for Public, Educational, and Governmental access channels and funding.

from: Boston Business Journal

Verizon Wants Filings Kept From Public

Todd, Wallack, Boston Business Journal
March 30, 2007

Over the last 14 months, Verizon Communications Inc. has launched TV service in 39 cities and towns across Massachusetts and won approval to enter four more.

But the phone giant doesn't want anyone to know how many customers have signed up for the service.

from: Broadband Reports

Qwest Sells Iowa On 'Franchise Reform'
Even though they have yet to solidify TV plan
Posted 2007-03-30 14:14:09 by Karl

Like Verizon and AT&T, Qwest has been lobbying state lawmakers hard to try to convince them that if they eliminate the local video franchise system, the public will see lower TV prices and broader deployment.