Save Access

from: Times Free Press

Cable TV drama ready for new season in state Legislature

By Dave Flessner and Jason Reynolds
Staff Writers

AT&T Corp. is hoping for a fresh start in the Tennessee Legislature next year when it mounts its second attempt to be able to add video services across Tennessee under a single franchise agreement, the company's new Tennessee president said Wednesday.

from: Times Free Press

Dueling video
Thursday, October 11, 2007

By Jason M. Reynolds and Dave Flessner
Staff Writers

Three companies soon may be fighting to plug their wires into Chattanooga homes to provide telephone, video and Internet services through lucrative "triple play" offers that bundle two or more communications packages.

from: Times Free Press

AT&T to push for franchise rights again
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

By Dave Flessner and Jason M. Reynolds
Staff Writers

Phone giant AT&T plans to mount a second legislative attempt in January to gain statewide franchising authority to add video services across Tennessee, an executive said today.

from: Nashville Post

General Assembly committee chief won't sponsor AT&T reform bill

09-25-2007

House Commerce Committee Chairman Charles Curtiss told NashvillePost.com this morning he will neither sponsor nor cosponsor legislation for video-services franchise reform during the next session of the General Assembly.

Note: The new AT&T Tennessee president, Gregg Morton, repeats the telco mantra "competition means lower prices" while offering no evidence that this has been the case anywhere. Instead he offers up the cost of the infrastructure upgrades AT&T has planned in states that have given in to telco state franchise demands, as if that is somehow a form of corporate benevolence. In reality, these upgrade costs come at the expense of the local cities and the loss of revenue from past local franchising agremments. AT&T and other telcos are saving much more than they are investing in infrastructure upgrades - the city losses are their gains.

From

DSL Reports, August 18, 2007

The Chattanooga Electric Power Board could pose a threat to AT&T’s growing network in Tennessee. The EPB is launching an FTTH initiative with a price tag of $200 million, expanding their Internet and telephone services and breaking into the cable industry. The process incorporates citizen input along the way. It’s expected to take some time to implement it and will need to go through several more stages of approval including to the state controller’s office and the City Council. If all goes well, EPB hopes to begin service to its first customers in about a year.

More information can be obtained from the EPB news release and the EPB website.

from: Nashville Post

Telecom secrets shape Connected Tennessee report

Michael Ramage
07-23-2007 2:08 PM —

Connected Tennessee — the organization called into being by Gov. Phil Bredesen and the General Assembly to strengthen the state's high-speed communications resources — will reveal the results of its study of confidential industry information this week.

from: Germantown News

Cable bill pulled from consideration
By Terry Britt

If AT&T wants a piece of the Germantown cable provider scene, it's still going to have to go through the city's licensing procedures.

Wednesday, a legislative bill backed by AT&T was withdrawn from consideration by its sponsors, Reps. Steve McDaniel and Charles Curtiss. The bill would have given cable television providers like AT&T the ability to apply for a statewide franchise rather than going through individual municipalities.

from: MultiChannel News

Reform Off Table in Tennessee

By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 5/28/2007

Citing opposition from local governments, the sponsor of a bill to reform cable franchising in Tennessee has withdrawn the legislation for the session.

The bill could be resubmitted next year, but sponsor Rep. Steve McDaniel (R-Parkers Crossroads) told the Associated Press that he wouldn't push the issue of reform unless he sensed a “change of attitude” by city and local officials who fought the bill. Cable incumbents had formed a coalition with the local governments to fight the bill.

from: PEG Clippings

AT&T:0 - Public Interest:1
Three Cheers for the Volunteer State!

Yesterday the push for establishing statewide video franchising in Tennessee failed - at least for the 2007 legislative session. Here are excerpts from some of the major press accounts, and links to a few of the others. The credit seems mostly due to the individual and collective work of local municipal officials. Thanks to ACM members Frank Bluestein (Germantown), Alan Bozeman (Murfreesboro), Elliott Mitchell (Nashville), and Dave Vogel (Knoxville) for their good work helping to man the barricades and repel the assault. - rm