Give cable TV some healthy rivals

[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Anyone who has watched cable TV bills soar year after year has to wonder if price relief will ever arrive. Now telephone companies are trying to compete with cable to offer popular channels through their phone lines. But if federal government regulations aren't modernized, that day may be long in coming. Under current rules, "video franchising" gives local cities and towns the right to grant a license to each cable television company. That's been great for municipalities: They can ask the winning cable company to upgrade their streetlights or build them a park to sweeten the deal. But that system doesn't let consumers directly benefit from competition for TV-viewing dollars. The Telecommunications Act of 1996, which regulates TV and the Internet, needs a significant overhaul. Congress is unlikely to undertake such a battle royal in this election year. But reforming video franchising - and heating up competition between cable companies and telcos - is something it should tackle now.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0222/p08s02-comv.html

See also --
* Reform Video Franchising Now
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/features/48919.html