Indiana Latest State To Mull Telecom Deregulation

[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Michael Martinez]
Indiana state Sen. Brandt Hershman unveiled a bill that would strip his state's regulators of their power to set prices and service standards for the telecommunications industry. The measure, S. 245, would remove telecom firms from the oversight of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in 2009. The legislation also would let companies raise their prices $1 per month until that deadline, provided they offer high-speed Internet access to more than half their customers. And the bill would create a statewide franchising authority for video programming across all technologies. The proposal further outlines stringent rules for municipalities seeking to own and operate broadband networks. The rules would authorize the use of taxpayer funds for broadband infrastructure only when funding is not available from private sources. Hershman, a Republican, said in a statement that the bill aims to drive down prices for consumers by facilitating a free telecom marketplace. He said Indiana's telecom laws are designed for a market that existed "when a blackberry was just a fruit and a google was just a very large number." But critics of the bill said it caters to dominant providers at the expense of consumers. "This isn't public policy," said Dave Menzer, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. "This is AT&T's business plan converted into legislation."
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-DDOV1136562267373.html