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from: Chicago Business

Madigan enters cable-TV fray
AT&T would challenge Comcast's dominance

Attorney General Lisa Madigan is brokering a deal that could quickly end Comcast Corp.'s near monopoly on cable television in Illinois.

Note: It's worth remembering that in 2000 AT&T was the largest cable operator in the country (having bought TCI and MediaOne). In 2001 AT&T sold their broadband division to Comcast.

from: Yahoo Finance

SeekingAlpha
AT&T, Comcast: How Much Bandwidth is Enough?

Monday May 14, 5:43 am ET

from: Farmington Enterprise

Cable franchise fall-out: Local officials learn more about AT&T

Thursday, May 24th, 2007

If you’re looking for cheap cable service, you might want to do some serious comparisons between local cable providers and AT&T’s new U-verse service, being rolled out in this area now.

from: Sascha Meinrath

In Illinois, AT&T Lobbyists Hole up In State Legislator Offices, Will Attempt Midnight Legislative Coup.

Wed, 2007-05-30 16:50

I've just learned that AT&T lobbyists are holed up in state legislators offices and are rewriting state laws that they will attempt to get passed in the dead of night. One might think that this is some sort of nefarious plot to some Gotham City corruption scandal, but it's happening right now in the State of Illinois. With massive public opposition to HB1500, it appears likely that AT&T and it's legislators will attempt to attach amendments to SB 678.

from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Governor signs video franchise bill AT&T wanted

By SCOTT LEITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/31/07

AT&T, which harbors hopes of becoming a big force in selling TV services, got a boost Wednesday from the state of Georgia.

from: The Day.com

Telecoms Charge AT&T With Delaying New Service
Long Waits Hindering Fiber-Optic Plans, Say Groton Firm, Others
By Patricia Daddona , Published on 5/31/2007

Three years ago, Thames Valley Communications in Groton began building a fiber-optic network to provide customers with high-speed Web access. It hoped to have the system in place by 2009.

from: Access North GA

Perdue signs new laws, vetoes 41 bills

The Associated Press - ATLANTA

Gov. Sonny Perdue's veto pen got a workout on Wednesday.

Perdue vetoed 41 bills _ more than twice the number he rejected the year before. And the governor slashed more than $18 million in spending and bonds from the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

from: Telecom Web

Update: The State Video-Franchise Bill Report Card

With the first half of 2007 nearly over, the scorecard for state video-franchise legislation stands at four and four. Florida became the latest state to enact such rules, with Gov. Charlie Crist signing that state's bill into law late last week.

Missouri, Iowa and Georgia have passed similar legislation, but those bills still await the governors' signatures. The list of states with new video-franchising rules in place also includes California, Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, Michigan and Florida.

But along with victory, there's defeat. According to TelecomWeb news break's sister publication CableFAX Daily, two states - Utah and Colorado - voted down bills in committee this year. That's somewhat unique because most of last year's failed legislation stemmed from lawmakers running out of time, says Rick Cimerman, vice president/state and government affairs at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. Two other states also have failed to pass legislation, with Washington tabling a bill to potentially take it up next year and Idaho's sponsor withdrawing legislation (all of the defeats took place in Qwest territory).

The score for defeats actually bumps up to five if you include Minnesota, which seems to be keeping legislation permanently in committee, says Cimerman. Eight states, primarily in AT&T territory, still have bills on the front burner: Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Tennessee appears the least likely to pass a bill this year, because its General Assembly only has about a month left but several big pieces of legislation to take up--including the budget and Gov. Phil Bredesen's cigarette-tax increase. The state's Senate Commerce Committee is slated to take the bill up this week.

Another state worth watching is Pennsylvania. In October 2006, the sponsors of the state franchising bills dropped the legislation but they now appear prepared to reintroduce the measures. One state senator who was not an original sponsor last year plans to introduce a bill that would create a statewide franchising law under the auspices of the Public Utility Commission.

As things stand now, AT&T has more territory covered by state franchises, but Verizon, which has applied for local franchises, has a significant lead in video customers. Verizon reported 348,000 subscribers at the end of 1Q07, while AT&T reported 20,000.

As summer approaches, 2007 reveals that some states have adopted new statewide video-franchise legislation, others have postponed, and some have voted against state legislation (select the state link to view the legislation).

from: Bitchslappin

Choice and Competition in Cable and Telecomm, Take Two

I've been following the heavy handed and well funded lobbying of the Telecomm Giants to get into the IPTV business by pushing (and some say WRITING) the new State Level Legislation that has been introduced in a bunch of different States across the US.

From KeepUsConnected.org

Amended Video Franchise Bill Not Heard in Illinois

May 29, 2007

No amendment to House Bill 1500 was introduced at today’s House Telecommunications Committee hearing. As previously reported, considerable work has been completed on an amendment to the bill as the Attorney General's office and House staff work with telephone and cable companies, cities, PEGs and consumer advocates to craft a bill that will result in fair competition.

Monday's Crain's Chicago Business cites Springfield sources as saying AT&T is balking at a revised, more pro-consumer bill brokered by Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Whether or not a bill gets out by the end of this session, progress on the HB 1500 amendment lays a firm foundation for any future telecom legislation. We are grateful for the excellent work of Susan Satter of the Attorney General's office and Louie Mossos of Speaker Madigan's staff on the HB 1500 amendment.

And thanks to all of you for keeping alive our call to Springfield to Keep Us Connected.

Click here for original draft of HB 1500.
Click here to learn more about the Keep Us Connected coalition.

CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR

Click here to find phone numbers for your state representative.

Talking Points
As originally written, HB 1500:

Harms Public, Educational and Government (PEG) Access TV channels
Drops meaningful requirements that companies serve everyone
Weakens customer service protections
Harms fair competition