Save Access

Dear Washington State media activists,

Reclaim the Media was in Olympia this week to speak against a very bad new telecommunications bill, SB6003, which would open the door for Qwest and other telecom companies to provide cable-type video services to customers statewide - but on the company's terms.

Their terms don't include fair support for PEG (public access, government and educational) TV programming, and they would seriously erode local customer accountability. Last but certainly not least, this corporate-sponsored bill would allow Qwest and other companies the right to "cherry-pick" the neighborhoods they want to provide the best services to, while skipping over less affluent or rural neighborhoods.

from:
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

Legislature: State power grab
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

State lawmakers are looking today at a bill that supporters, chiefly Qwest Communications, proclaim would promote competition in cable TV services. Perhaps so, but the heart of the bill is a wholesale grab of power from cities, counties and communities.

This page last updated 4/7/07
Recent State News via saveaccess: newswire

Bill Number(s):
HB 1983 Read Bill
SB 6003 Read Bill

from: MultiChannel News

Qwest Backs State Franchise Bill
Telco Tries to Succeed in Washington Where It Failed in Colorado

By Linda Haugsted 2/14/2007 6:16:00 PM

Just days after a Qwest Communications-backed bill failed to escape committee in Colorado, a similar bill to reform cable franchising surfaced in Washington state, also backed by the telco.

from: PR Web

BCAW, Urban League, Cities Say Qwest Bill Bad for Local Consumers

Opponents Say Qwest Measure Would Allow Phone Company to Serve Most Affluent Neighborhoods While Bypassing Others, Cost Communities Needed Tax Dollars and Replace Local Oversight with State Bureaucracy; Telephone Company Seeks End to Local Control of Cable Television, Critics Say