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Note: A summation of the legal documents concerning the lawsuit in Michigan with Comcast

from: Miller & Van Eaton

MICHIGAN CITIES WIN PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST COMCAST'S PEG CHANNEL MOVE

The Township of Meridian and the City of Dearborn filed suit in federal district court January 11, 2008, asking the court to stop Comcast from dropping analog PEG channels and providing those channels only as a digital service. On January 14, 2008, the court issued a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction (which remains in effect until a new order issues from the court) preventing Comcast from moving the PEG channels. The text of the court's order is linked below.

Note: This petition site has been set up in response to Comcast's actions in Michigan. Take a moment and sigh on.

Go to: Petitions

COMCAST MUST BE STOPPED

Petition created by: The Producers A

Because of the recent actions in Michigan and similar actions executed and planned across the country including, but not limited to; The closing of Public Access studios. The termination of the Community Calendar's & bulletin boards. The planned move of Public, Educational and Governmental programming to additional fee 900 channels and rate increases of 13.5% for services.

Note: When AT&T stocks slipped 6% recently, at least one stock analyst blamed it on 'consumer weakness'. Perhaps consumers could use this 'weakness' to their advantage.

from: Gigaom.com

Are Cable and Phone Companies Still Recession-Proof?
Guest Column, Monday, January 14, 2008 at 12:00 AM PT Comments (1)

from: Bloggong Broadband

Comcast Responds to Chairman Dingell, and Just Says ‘No’

From Blogging Broadband, January 14, 2008
By Jon Kreucher

It used to be that a letter from the Chairman of a powerful Congressional committee meant something �” especially if that committee plays a large role in your regulatory future. Those days, however, may be behind us.

from: Free Press

Legal battles stall Comcast's plan to move public access channels
January 14, 2008
By DAVID ASHENFELTER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A Macomb County judge issued a temporary order late today blocking Comcast's plans to move community access channels higher up the dial and out of the reach of thousands of Michigan cable subscribers with analog televisions in Warren and possibly the entire state.

Note: Harold Feld sizes up the big picture on the implications of Comcast's behavior and how that might impact other channel providers.

from: Wet Machine

Potentially Much More At Stake In Michigan Than PEG - NAB, PBS and Folks Worried About Bundling of Services Better Wake Up And Pay Attention!

Compared to the primary battles in Michigan, the fight between Comcast and local governments about Comcast's decision to migrate Public Educational and Government (PEG) channels to digital seems like small potatoes. But potentially, the lawsuit filed by the cities of Dearborn and Meridian in local federal court could have huge impact on how cable operators carry broadcast television and even how they bundle video services with their voice and broadband offerings.

Note: This hearing has been confirmed and is posted. It arose partly out of Comcast's dumping of PEG channels to the digital tier of channels in Michigan.

from: Committee on Energy and Commerce

Committee on Energy and Commerce Schedule Update
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Services in the Digital TV Age

from: Blogging Broadband

Comcast’s Response to Complaint on PEG Digitization Raises Broader Issues

Things have been moving quickly in Michigan over the course of the last couple of days – just as predicted in BloggingBROADBAND last week.

After months of discussion and a letter from House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell failed to dissuade Comcast from its plan to digitize and migrate public, education, and government (“PEG”) access channels, two Michigan communities and one Comcast customer filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to stop Comcast’s PEG channel migration plan. The lawsuit was filed last Friday afternoon – less than 100 hours before Comcast’s plan would be complete as the clock ticked to 12:01 a.m. tomorrow morning. The parties’ briefing occurred over the weekend, and an oral hearing on the communities’ motion for a temporary restraining order was scheduled for today at 9 a.m. The matter has been docketed as case number 08-10156, and pleadings are available electronically through PACER.

from: Free Press

Judge to rule today on Comcast's channel change
Those with analogue TVs would be affected
January 14, 2008
BY DAVID ASHENFELTER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A federal judge will decide by the end of the day whether to block Comcast’s decision Thursday to move public access channels up the dial and out of the reach of thousands of Michigan cable subscribers with analogue televisions.

from: Grand Rapids Press

Comcast Switch May Limit Grand Rapids’ Election Coverage
January 14, 2008

Jon Koeze, administrator of the city’s cable television access Channel 26, does not score big ratings on most evenings.

Now he is afraid a switch by Comcast cable will ruin one of his biggest nights of the year Tuesday.