Action Alert: Stop Legislation to Deregulate Cable TV, Reduce Consumer Rights, and Eliminate Free AccessContributed by Drew Shaffer, Cable TV Administrator
There are lobbying efforts in many state legislatures and in Congress right now that intend to completely deregulate cable TV and phone companies. Several bills have already been introduced in Congress and one is on it's way to the Iowa State legislature.
If successful, these bills would effectively:
eliminate any operational support for all public access cable tv channels in the US;
eliminate local franchising authority;
eliminate the ability of cities to regulate any rates of cable tv or phone companies and
eliminate the ability of cities to protect their citizens, by
eliminating the ability of cities to deal with citizen complaints about their cable tv/phone companies, and to the largest extent possible,
eliminate franchise fees.
eliminate local franchising authority;
eliminate the ability of cities to regulate any rates of cable tv or phone companies and
eliminate the ability of cities to protect their citizens, by
eliminating the ability of cities to deal with citizen complaints about their cable tv/phone companies, and to the largest extent possible,
eliminate franchise fees.
These lobbying efforts are largely being carried out by Verizon and Southern Bell (which will shortly become AT&T through a merger/buyout), although some cable companies are assisting their efforts. The phone companies argument is that local franchising is a barrier to entry - they will not be able to roll out their tv offerings fast enough to compete with cable tv. The cable companies are arguing they should not have to supply all the offerings they now make to cities (including such things as operational funding for access channels, franchise fees, pass through funds, etc.).
The Congressional representatives that have been approached by cities over the last six months indicate that there will be a bill passed this year and that it will NOT be public access channel/city/citizen friendly (although they might not put it quite like that - that will be the effect).
If you are concerned about these developments, please contact your Congressional and state reps and let them know you do not want this to happen - that phone companies and cable companies should not be de-regulated. In fact, there should be further regulation to protect citizens, cities and public access channels.
Click here to find and contact your state legislators
Click here to find and contact your Congressman and US Senators
E-mail, fax and phone are the best ways to contact our Washington reps. If you send a snail-mail, send it to their district office rather than DC. (All congressional mail sent to DC is screened for anthrax and therefore it will take much longer to get there).
Drew Shaffer, is the Cable TV Administrator in Iowa City. This issue was discussed with Nick Johnson on Ch. 18, Iowa City’s Public Access Channel on the "Live & Local” program. For more information, IC residents can watch for this program to be rebroadcast - check the PATV schedule here.
If you would like to be part of organized media reform efforts in Iowa, please consider joining Iowans for Better Local TV.
To find out more, click here
