FCC Poised To Grant Telcos a Victory

By John Eggerton
from: Broadcasting & Cable [1], 12/20/2006 2:09:00 PM

The FCC appears poised to grant telcos a big victory and what amounts to an FCC version of the sweeping video franchise reform legislation that failed to pass Congress.

If the vote goes as the Commission Democrats were predicting as the monthly FCC meeting began, the commission's Republican majority was planning to approve an order that would put a shot clock on local franchise negotiations, limit build-out requirements and franchise conditions, and cap public and government access channel investments.

The Democratic commissioners who opposed the changes said they agreed that some video franchise reform could be helpful, but called the majority proposal an overreaching that would get smacked down by the courts.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association at press time, even before the item had been voted, had already scheduled a 3:30 press conference to respond.