TV: The Bells' Next Battle

TV: THE BELLS' NEXT BATTLE
[SOURCE: Forbes.com, AUTHOR: Tim Doyle]
On February 1, Federal Communications Commissioners will face the Senate Commerce Committee -- and probably questions about why the Commission's Republican majority voted to override certain state and local laws that govern applications by AT&T and Verizon to sell TV service and to require local governments to act on those applications within three months. Whether the new FCC rule will stand up to legal and political challenges remains to be seen. Lawsuits from towns loom. Newly powerful Democrats don't like what they consider an infringement on their own power. Moreover, 10 states have established their own fast-track processes for TV applications and don't like the FCC meddling either. "The only certainty in the FCC action is that this gives AT&T and Verizon more leverage in negotiating with cities," says Stifel Nicolaus analyst Blair Levin. "From there, it is very unclear on how it proceeds. There are a lot of variables: cable companies, the legalities." Like many FCC decisions, the matter may drag on for years in courts.
http://www.forbes.com/businessinthebeltway/2007/01/24/beltway-business-fcc-biz-wash-cz_td_0124beltway.html