Save Access

Another state in the sights of Telco state franchising efforts. If you have contacts in North Carolina, alert them to this news ASAP. See www.ncccmc.org for more info/

Friends,

A bill in the N.C. House of Representatives, HB 2047, "The Video Service Competition Act", would eliminate local government authority over cable TV franchising, consolidating the power to grant local video franchises in Raleigh.

This power grab is terrible legislation for many reasons. In my opinion, it is one of the biggest corporate giveaways in North Carolina history.

Most importantly, HB 2047 would eliminate one of the best local economic development tools we have to promote a Digital Media Economy. If passed, this bill would lock North Carolina into the bottom 10 percent of states using local franchising for economic development.

This bill is moving fast with little public scrutiny, except this Mountain Xpress story last week:
http://mountainx.com/news/2006/0517media.php

We have just learned that HB 2047 will be voted on June 1 by the House Finance Committee:

Where: Room 544, Legislative Office Building, Raleigh, NC
When: 8:30 a.m., Thursday, June 1, 2006.
What: NC Legislature House Finance Committee vote on the Video Service Competition Act.

Three legislators from WNC sit on the House Finance Committee. They are: Rep. Bruce Goforth , Rep. Susan Fisher and Rep. Trudi Walend .

Please contact these three legislators and ask them to vote AGAINST "The Video Service Competition Act." We all want more competition for cable TV, but this bill has serious flaws that can be fixed over the summer so that a revised bill can be voted on in the General Assembly's long session next fall.

A bill this important should not be rushed through in the short session with little or no public scrutiny!!

Please note that our pressure has succeeded in protecting some of the economic development benefits obtained in recent years by the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Asheville. But this bill, as currently written, would prohibit North Carolina's smaller cities and towns from pursuing similar benefits via the local franchise!

For more information, visit the website of the N.C. Coalition of Community Media Centers at .

You can also find contact information for your other state representatives at:
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/Who_Represents_Me/Who_Represents_Me.html

Thanks for acting to protect our local Digital Media Future!

Wally Bowen
Executive Director
Mountain Area Information Network
Former Member, N.C. Rural Internet Access Authority