Save Access

from: The Plain Dealer

Putting consumers first
Sunday, May 20, 2007

The much-debated video franchise bill passed by the Ohio Senate represents a significant improvement over the original version.

As introduced, Senate Bill 117 would have wiped away the cumbersome city-by-city process of granting franchises to video service providers and replaced it with a single statewide standard. Media giant AT&T, which helped craft the bill, said that favorable language was needed to enhance competition in Ohio's pay-TV market. Most consumers would have probably agreed, as competition usually results in lower prices.

But the original bill also seemed to give away local control and everything else. That's why we urged its sponsor, Sen. Jeff Jacobson, to address some of the issues raised by angry municipal officials.

The Dayton-area Republican kept his promise to do just that. The substitute version won't please its many vociferous critics, but it also doesn't let AT&T walk away with the goose and the golden eggs.

The Senate-passed bill allows local governments to collect fees on advertising revenues and makes it easier to retain some, but not all, public-access governmental channels. Many local governments have too many of these little-watched access channels, so there's no harm shedding some of them.

The revised bill would also require companies to develop a process for handling consumer complaints and to allow local control of right-of-ways, which determine where equipment can be placed.

SB 117 is now before the Ohio House, whose members should not be shy about debating its remaining flaws. As it now stands, libraries and schools served by video providers could be left without service after 2012. Those are important institutions that reach nearly everyone. They should be protected by the House.

In addition, video service providers must offer services to at least 30 percent of poor households in their area within five years. That may sound like a lot, but under the old system, most communities required every section of their localities to be covered.

A new law that promises to increase cable competition and lower prices shouldn't leave Ohio's poorest residents behind. Keeping the digital highway accessible to as many Ohioans as possible may not interest corporations, but it's clearly in the public interest. The House should remember that.