Hutchison Unveils State Franchising Bill

HUTCHISON UNVEILS STATE FRANCHISING BILL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) introduced a bill Tuesday that would require state governments to become cable-franchising authorities in lieu of thousands of cities and towns that have been exercising that authority for decades. The bill (S. 2989), modeled after a Texas law passed last year, appears designed to speed phone-company entry into local cable markets, as state governments would have 17 business days to grant valid franchise applications and could not impose market-buildout requirements on new entrants. Sen Hutchison, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, might offer her bill as an amendment to a major telecommunications bill (S. 2686) sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) when the panel meets June 20 to vote on Stevens’ bill. Under the Stevens bill, local governments would retain the right to serve as cable-franchising authorities, but they would generally need to approve new cable-franchise applications within 30 days under a streamlined process crafted by the Federal Communications Commission. Sen Hutchison’s bill would allow large incumbent cable operators to obtain state franchises only following the expirations of their local agreements. A small cable incumbent -- defined as having fewer than 40% of subscribers in a franchise area -- could terminate its local agreement and seek a state franchise not later than 120 days after the Hutchison bill became law. In her bill, Hutchison would allow providers of cable service or Internet protocol TV to apply for a state franchise. State franchisees must pay 5% of gross revenue -- which would not include income from advertising -- to compensate local governments for use of public rights of way. State franchisees would be barred from denying cable service or video service to “any group of potential residential subscribers” based on income. Individuals denied service and local governments would be eligible to file complaints with the state to seek enforcement. State regulators and the courts would be required to give state franchisees that run afoul of the nondiscrimination ban “a reasonable period of time to become capable of providing cable or video service to all households within a designated franchise area.” In terms of compliance, state franchisees could either extend their wireline facilities or make “use of an alternative technology that provides comparable content, service and functionality.”
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