FCC aims to Help Telcos offer TV Service Faster

FCC AIMS TO HELP TELECOS OFF TV SERVICE FASTER
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The Federal Communications Commission this week hopes to do what Congress could not accomplish this year -- help AT&T and Verizon get into the television business faster. New subscription television providers like the telephone carriers must apply with thousands of cities and towns for permission to offer the service and they have complained that the process could take years. The FCC is slated to vote on Wednesday on a plan that would likely restrict local authorities to 90 days to review applications from providers who already use public rights-of-way and 180 days for new providers, as well as limit unrelated public works projects. Telephone carriers see offering television service as a way to better compete against cable companies, which are vying for more customers with new voice and high-speed Internet services. The FCC sees the move as a way to spur more competition.
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-12-17T174729Z_01_N17270934_RTRUKOC_0_US-FCC.xml&WTmodLoc=PolNewsHo...

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CABLE_COMPETITION?SITE=CARDB&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT