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This letter was sent by Verizon to a 'municipal leader' in Massachusetts - but it reads like a 'Dear John' letter to the access community. Note the issues: PEG support is capped at 1% which will hurt many Massachusetts PEG acccess centers. There is no mention of iNet support (institutional networks) or possible interconnect fees. Also missing are any promise of build-out (redlining) requirements. Then there is the absurd 15 day shot clock to approve applications.

from: Boston Globe

Legislators look to increase cable TV competition Bill to speed approval process, aid Verizon

By Robert Weisman, Globe Staff | January 10, 2007

A pair of Massachusetts lawmakers is expected to introduce legislation today that would enable companies seeking to offer cable television to get approval from the state rather than cities and towns.

The bill being prepared by state Senator Steven Panagiotakos , Democrat of Lowell, and Representative James Vallee , Democrat of Franklin, would allow new cable-television providers such as Verizon Communications Inc. to bypass the current franchising process in individual communities and apply to the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy for permission to enter the cable market in one or more service areas.

If Verizon is giving up on Federal legislation, they're not giving up on state franchise. Today a Verizon backed bill was expected to be introduced in Massachusetts.

from: MultiChannel news

Tauke: Big Telecom Bill Unlikely in 2007-08
By Ted Hearn 1/9/2007 5:37:00 PM

from: Callahan’s Cleveland Diary

MI video franchise “reform”: A license to redline?

HB 6456, Michigan’s new law stripping municipalities of cable TV franchise authority, appears to open the door for cable providers to deny service to “low value” neighborhoods in cities where they maintain franchises… in effect, creating a license to redline low-income communities.

From: Bloomberg News

Verizon, AT&T Lobby States for TV Licenses, Bypassing Congress

By Molly Peterson

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. haven't fared well in Washington in their bid to expand their television business. They're doing a lot better in Trenton and Topeka.

The phone companies are backing off a two-year push to get Congress to help them win a bigger chunk of the $68 billion cable-TV market. Instead, they're shifting their focus to state capitals -- nine legislatures have already approved TV-licensing laws -- as well as the Federal Communications Commission.

from: Broadband Reports

Fighting AT&T
The battle over franchise agreements

Posted 2006-12-18 14:24:21 by Karl

If you ask telco execs, lobbyists and the FCC, local video franchise agreements are the worst kind of bureaucracy. Towns are little more than greedy parasites that make absurd demands at every opportunity and rarely have local residents' interests in mind. Telco lobbyists suggest that the existing franchise system needs a lobotomy, and by replacing the current system with statewide or federal system, they can speed up next-gen broadband and IPTV deployment.

from: North Jersey.com

Verizon's North Jersey cable debut looms
Saturday, December 16, 2006

By MARTHA McKAY
STAFF WRITER

TV viewers in many North Jersey towns could get a choice of cable TV provider as early as next week.

from: Broadcasting and Cable

Washington Watch
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/18/2006

Video-Franchise Law in Neutral

Telephone companies spent millions of dollars pushing for national video-franchise reform that would allow them to more easily compete with cable in video and broadband access.

from: Broadcasting and Cable

Free Stater Weighs In

Friday, December 15, 2006

The Free State Foundation, a free market think tank in Maryland, has increasingly been weighing in on communications issues.

The latest e-mailed commentary from tank thinker Randolph May suggests that whatever Congress does or doesn't do, telcos may yet get their franchise reform one state at a time.

from: TV Technology.com

Michigan and FCC Take Up Franchise Reform
Date posted: 2006-12-15

When it comes to franchise reform, telcos are proving there's more than one way to skin the cat. Having failed to get a bill passed on Capitol Hill, telcos have brought their persuasive powers to bear on the FCC, which has scheduled a franchise vote for Dec. 20.