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From: Broadcasting & Cable

Telcos Celebrate Franchise Wins

From Broadcasting & Cable, September 29, 2006
By John Eggerton

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday signed the state’s new video franchise reform legislation.

The law makes it easier for competitors like telephone companies to get into the multichannel video business in competition to cable.

From: MultiChannel News

California Cities Seek A Veto for Video Bill

By Linda Haugsted
9/11/2006

California cities and counties, concerned that a new statewide video-franchising bill will disenfranchise groups of consumers throughout the state, have launched an effort to get Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto
the bill.

The municipalities and their advocacy group, the League of California Cities, strongly opposed the bill throughout the hearing process. Local regulators stressed their support for competition, but said they fear the bill (approved Aug. 31) will allow new providers, including telcos Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., to geographically “cherry-pick” the state.

from: Telecom Web

Telcos Win: California Senate OKs Statewide Video Franchises

The California state Senate yesterday passed a video franchise measure establishing a streamlined statewide certification and authorization process that will make it far easier and speedier for major local exchange carriers to enter the market against incumbent cablecos (TelecomWeb news break, Aug. 18).

from: SFGate.com

Big business lobbies hard for video licensing bill
Creating statewide franchises would shake up telecom world

Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Monday, August 28, 2006

Sacramento -- When Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez held a news conference in April to introduce legislation to give telephone companies unprecedented access to the home video market, he did so with props that evoked a bygone era.

from: Pinnacle News

The fight for local TV
Sunday, August 13, 2006
By Kate Woods

CMAP's director becomes "David" pitted against Goliath telephone companies

Don't look now, but if you live in Gilroy, Hollister or San Juan Bautista, you're on the verge of losing the few stations on your cable menu that give you what you want.

Note: Congrats to our CA friends for doing such great work to protect PEG in the upcoming state legislation.

from: California Progress Report

Community Media Advocates Influence California Cable, Phone and Broadband Bill

By Ron Cooper
Executive Director
Access Sacramento

from: Sacramento Bee

Cable bill's picture is fuzzy

By Jim Sanders -- Bee Capitol Bureau

Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, July 16, 2006

Propelled by powerful lawmakers and big-money corporations, California is on the verge of drastically changing the state's cable television industry, but here's a warning from critics of the 20-page proposal: Read the fine print. The legislation, one of the year's most fiercely contested measures, would allow AT&T and Verizon to obtain a statewide franchise to compete in the huge home entertainment market by offering a "triple play" of phone, video and Internet service.

from: Monterey County Weekly

Dialing for Dollars
Telecom industry pumps millions into AB 2987.

Jul 06, 2006
By Ryan Masters

On June 19, state Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game in AT&T Park. In itself, it wouldn’t be a very newsworthy event—especially since the Democratic lawmaker from Los Angeles doesn’t have much of an arm. But many fear that his recent pitch to the Assembly on behalf of telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon may be a strike against city governments and community media across California.

We are posting this alert related to California Bill AB2987. If you are in the Sacramento area, please attend the AB2987 hearing tomorrow. If you are elsewhere in the state and cannot attend, Media Alliance has an easy to send email letter
Additional information can be found at these web sites:
http://www.acmwest.org

from: MultiChannel news

Lodi Residents May Lose Yard Space to AT&T Cabinets

Residents in Lodi, Calif., will have interesting lawn ornaments soon and some folks aren’t too happy about it. AT&T is set to install large gray boxes in some front yards as the telecommunications provider prepares to offer its voice, video and data offerings in the area.