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from: The City Paper

AT&T, cable crafting compromise
By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com

Lengthy negotiations between AT&T, the cable industry and local governments over AT&T’s bid to offer television services in Tennessee are close to complete, and the final product may cause a first for the telecom giant in the southeast.

from: The Tennessean

Players in cable fight make big donations to legislative campaigns

By THEO EMERY • Staff Writer • March 23, 2008

AT&T and the major cable companies poured campaign donations into the coffers of Tennessee lawmakers last year.

Most came in the last weeks of 2007, just before the fundraising cutoff at the January start of the legislative session. Under the state's 2-year-old ethics laws, lawmakers cannot raise money during the session.

from: The Tennessean

AT&T approached states after U.S. franchise failed
Bill would bypass local contracts

By THEO EMERY • Staff Writer • March 23, 2008

Tennessee's battle over cable franchising is not unique.

After an attempt to establish nationwide cable franchising failed, AT&T went to work in legislatures across the country to seek statewide access to cable markets, said Bob Williams, the director of HearUsNow.org, a Web site of the Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

from: The Chattanoogan

City Council Moves Closer To Backing AT&T Bill
Littlefield Says He Welcomes Cable TV Competition
posted March 18, 2008

The City Council is moving closer to backing a bill sought by AT&T allowing it statewide franchise rights leading to development of a cable TV system.

from: Community Media Clippings

Video Clips of Connecticut Public Hearing on PEG Access TV
March 16, 2008
By

On March 7 Connecticut's Joint Committee on Energy & Technology held a 4-hour hearing on HB 5814, a bill to amend their recent statewide video franchising law. Connecticut PEG access advocates are asking to have two essential protections added:

from: Broadband Reports

U-Verse's Sorry Excuse For Public Access TV
CT's version of public access CSPAN a little annoyed....
Monday Mar 17 2008 by Karl

As Verizon and AT&T lobbyists worked to eliminate the local video franchise system, consumer advocates pointed out that such moves resulted in the death of public access.

from: Saline County Voice

Public access TV may be on ropes
Lewis Delavan

Public access television's future may be threatened.

No, not really from an irate alderman upset with programming, although backers of Benton's public access Channel 12 may think so.

The greatest threat to Channel 12 and community public access stations across the country is state, rather than local, control of content.

from: Times Free Press

Commission hears cable competition proposal

By Holly Cowart
Community News Assistant Editor

Soddy-Daisy commissioners did not vote on a resolution supporting competition in the cable industry at their March 6 meeting, but expect to on March 20.

from: The Daily Journal

Kankakee County tuning in local TV
03/14/2008, 9:37 am

By John Stewart

Anybody can post a video on YouTube.com with a cheap Web cam and an even cheaper microphone.

But not everyone gets on television or can make a video that gets on television. That's because television still has a "mystique," according to Steve Bertrand, assistant director of the Kankakee Public Library.

from: Ridel Communications

Thursday, March 13, 2008
Union Made

There once was a union maid, she never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.
She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,
And when the Legion boys come 'round
She always stood her ground.