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from: Wall Street Journal

Verizon’s TV Figures Questioned

October 4, 2007
By Christopher Rhoads

Verizon Communications Inc.’s high-stakes plan to deliver a super-fast fiber-optic connection to millions of its customers has hit a possible snag: a lawsuit charging the company with overstating television subscriber numbers for its new network.

from: Public Knowledge

Verizon’s Ties Really Bind

October 3, 2007
By Art Brodsky

There appears to be a dropped connection between Verizon Executive Vice President Thomas Tauke, who talks with members of Congress and policymakers, and Verizon’s’ customer service representatives, who talk to the populace at large.

from: New Times

ATT franchise issue not yet resolved

State regulators will continue to review AT&T's application to provide Internet TV despite a federal court ruling Tuesday saying the service should be regulated as a cable franchise.

Beryl Lyons, a Department of Public Utility Control spokeswoman, said the agency is aware of Tuesday's court ruling but, because of a new state law that governs video service, the issue of licensing AT&T as a cable franchise is moot.

from: NY Daily News

Verizon cable TV deal worth too much to be done in secret

Juan Gonzalez
Wednesday, October 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM

In the next few weeks, the city is expected to conclude talks with Verizon over a new 15-year franchise that would let the telephone giant offer cable TV service throughout the city.

from: New Haven Register

AT&T won’t halt TV services
Gregory B. Hladky, Capitol Bureau Chief
10/04/2007

-HARTFORD — AT&T executives insisted Wednesday that an adverse federal court ruling won’t curtail operation of their new television service, saying they will continue to offer alternative TV to more than 100,000 consumers.

from: TBO.com

Judge Won't Force County To Fund Public Access TV Channel For Now

By ELLEN GEDALIUS The Tampa Tribune

Published: Oct 4, 2007

TAMPA - With its funding eliminated and a judge's ruling against it, a public access television network is unable to allow county residents to produce programming, at least for the time being.

from: Big Money Blog

Your Union. Delivered.

Back in May, we posted an item about state Democratic Party chairman Joe Wineke signing on as a lobbyist for AT&T to push for a cable TV franchising bill the company desires. The firestorm that Wineke's dual roles created eventually forced him to put an end to his lobbying work for the telecommunications giant.

from: Stamford Advocate

AT&T's TV service suffers a setback in federal court
By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer

October 3, 2007

AT&T lost some ground yesterday in its ongoing battle with cable and satellite television.

The telecommunications giant's efforts to compete through its fiber-optic U-verse, available in several Fairfield County communities, were dealt a setback by a federal judge in New Haven.

from: Wired News

Report Says FCC Talks Too Much
By JOHN DUNBAR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Communications Commission is doing a swell job communicating with lobbyists, but with the public? Not so good, according to a government report.

Note: As usual, Harold Feld nails down the issues on this one.

from: Wet Machine

The Verizon/NARAL Flap And Lessons for NARAL (and all the rest of you advocacy orgs out there)