Associated Press Blows Cable Bill; Governor Needs to Veto

As anyone following the cable television debate knows, there is a world, or at least a state, of difference between the legislation adopted in Illinois and the legislation proposed for Wisconsin. The Illinois bill is far superior when it comes to consumer protection, public access, and local benefits while providing identical opportunities for competition in the industry.

Last night the Associated Press story went out.

The proposal, which supporters say will not only increase competition but create jobs and lower cable rates, is expected to pass the state Senate on Thursday.

What is most curious is this line further down in the story:

At least 13 other states, including Ohio, California, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, have approved similar statewide franchising laws.

Excuse me.

We would gladly take the Illinois verison. Or how about the Illinois version with some of the better parts of the Michigan law.

Then again, it is a wonder that the bill is not already law, after all:

As has happened in other states where the idea is debated, huge amounts of money have been spent lobbying the bill in Wisconsin. AT&T, which hired 15 lobbyists, spent $205,451 through June 30 and made numerous donations to lawmakers over the past 18 months, state records show.

One has to wonder if there is a glimmer of hope for a gubernatorial veto, should the bill pass the Senate unamended:

Other states with similar laws have gotten better deals to ensure future funding for community access channels, said Mary Cardona, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of PEG Channels.

Doyle said those are legitimate concerns.

It would be nice if Governor Doyle would send one simple message to the Senate Democrats. Fix these problems with the provisions from the Illinois bill or I will veto it.

Comments

[JaneofDane]

from your mouth to God's ear!

[Anonymous]

There is no elected person representing the people, in any branch. Appreciate your outspoken style...while I don't agree with you on everything...I do on this.

[John Q.]

I was just reminded today of another reason why everything AT&T has told Wisconsin lawmakers about why they NEED state franchising in order to compete is rubbish:

In March of this year, the FCC released a "report and order" about local cable franchising. They granted new competitive cable operators the right to obtain a local franchise as soon as 90 days after the date of the request.

They also re-stated what municipalities have known since 1996 - that according to Section 541(a)(1) of the Telecommunications act, a local franchising authority may not unreasonably refuse to award an additional competitive franchise.

Local franchising authorities have also known that they can not require more or less from a new entry than they do from an incumbent operator.

The FCC order in March also stated that local franchising authorities must allow the new system a reasonable period of time to become capable of providing service to all households in the franchise area.

More information about the first and second orders from the FCC issues this year can be found at http://www.municipalcommunicationslaw.com/

With all of these federal protections in place, why is it that AT&T is pushing so hard for new state legislation? If they would have applied for franchises in all Wisconsin cities back in March, they would - by law - have them by now. 180 days have long since passed.

The answer is simple - they do not want to have to serve all households in any given area - EVER. No amount of time is reasonable to them to build out to everyone because they don't ever want to build out to everyone. They want to pick and chose which people should have access to their services and which ones shouldn't.

They don't want to support Wisconsin communities by passing Public, Education, and Government Access TV Support fees (averaging only 55 cents per month) on to their subscribers, not even when that support can only be used for equipment as the FCC allows.

They don't want to have to meet any customer service standards that are more strict than federal standards.

Let's face it, they don't want to serve Wisconsin Communities at all. They just want our money, and they want to tell US how to let THEM use OUR rights of way to make that money.

Illinois didn't let them get away with that nonsense. I hope Wisconsin won't, either.

What a twisted set of priorities. Shelve this until:
a. School aid formula is redone
b. Health insurance issue is addressed
c. The state figures out how to create an economy in which the overwhelming majority of jobs are good: at least 34 grand in salary, decent health insurance and an employer provided pension

[Harry Thibedeau]

Bravo to the Senate for passing the video competition bill...and here is to hoping that it becomes law fast!!

This legislation will remove many of the barriers limiting competition in Wisconsin. For far too long, the cable industry has enjoyed a "sweetheart" relationship with local units of government. The time has long since passed when they should face real competition...and we the consumers will benefit from great choice and lower prices. Only when aggressive competitors enter the market will the cable guys react by lowering prices and adding more programming options.

One need only look at the impact DBS had on cable. It forced them to go digital fast...after years "asleep at the switch" and it accelerated the deployment of new technologies such as cable-based broadband and telephone services as they raced to get a "triple-play" option to fend off the satellite competition.

Now, the cable industry will face MAJOR competition from the telcos...the gloves will be off. Want to bet how fast cable giants like Time Warner and Charter come to their senses when a telco competitor begins offering the Big Ten Network? Or when that same telco rolls out a broad offering of HD channels as opposed to the pitiful amount offered by most cable systems?

The WI consumer should be cheering loud and long...the Senate has opened the door wide for video competition...and EVERYONE...including those who choose to remain with cable...will be the winners.