House Republicans offer Bill to aid Telcos' Video

HOUSE REPUBLICANS OFFER BILL TO AID TELCOS' VIDEO
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
House Republicans -- including, in one report, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) -- on Monday offered legislation aimed at easing the path for telephone carriers like AT&T and Verizon to enter the subscription television business. The companies have complained that it would take them years to obtain the necessary licenses from thousands of local authorities to offer video service, which is aimed at competing with cable companies like Comcast. "With new competitors preparing to enter the ongoing race between cable and satellite, the law needs to change," said House Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX). He introduced the bill with Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton and Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat. Although if any telecom reform bill comes out of the House this year, it is likely to be some form of this bill, the future of this legislation remains unclear. The proposed House bill would allow video providers to obtain a national license, known as a franchise, and would permit local authorities to continue collecting up to 5 percent of gross revenue. The proposal also would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to enforce principles it has issued that call on broadband Internet providers to permit consumers unfettered Internet access and allow them to run any Internet-based applications.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...

* Hastert-Barton Draft Proposes National Video Franchises
[SOURCE: Congress Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-XUEK1143555795711.html

BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION BRINGS CHOICE, PRICE COMPETITION TO PAY TV
[SOURCE: House Commerce Committee press release, AUTHOR: Chairman Joe Barton]
Consumers will have greater choice and lower prices for pay television under bipartisan legislation unveiled today by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. The Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006 would prevent regulations from stunting the growth of new pay-TV services. Specifically, the bill would: 1) Create a nationwide approval process for pay-TV services. By streamlining this system, these companies will be able to offer new TV services in many areas while protecting local interests. Cable providers will also be eligible to participate in this streamlined system once they face local competition. 2) Require Internet-based telephone services to offer 9-1-1 capabilities while ensuring Internet telephone providers have access to all necessary 9-1-1 infrastructure and technology. 3) Clarify the FCC authority to prevent Internet service providers from blocking or degrading any content or applications delivered over the public Internet. 4) Preserve the rights of municipalities to collect up to a five percent fee from pay-TV providers. 5) Allow cities and towns to develop their own broadband networks.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/03272006_1827.htm

MARKEY SLAMS "BIPARTISAN" BILL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Rep Ed Markey (D-Mass.), ranking Democrat on the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, does not see the just-released national franchise bill as any kind of bipartisan offering, as it was being touted by the majority Tuesday (Democrat Bobby Rush of Illinois co-sponsored the bill). Rep Markey said he was disappointed both in the resulting bill and the Republican leadership of the House Commerce Committee and Telecom Subcommittee. He said the bill would allow franchisees to cherry pick more affluent neighborhoods and could lead to higher cable rates, not lower. Rep Markey said, “This bill ought to embrace open networks, competition in all markets, and a broadband vision which benefits everyone in the country. Instead, it does the opposite. In short, it favors the communications Colossi at the expense of the public interest. For those fighting for a broadband vision for America which is inclusive, innovative, and openly competitive, this bill represents a giant step backwards.”
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6319865?display=Breaking+News
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6319748.html?display=Breaking+News
* Rep. Markey Wages War Against Draft Telecom Bill
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-YGPR1143665536080.html

NET-NEUTRALITY ALLIES WANT BARTON BILL CHANGED
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Software companies and Internet-service providers with a combined market value greater than $500 billion complained Tuesday that a new House telecommunications bill would allow cable and phone broadband-access providers to harm Web-based competitors and rob the Internet of its open, competitive nature. The legislation, offered Monday by House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), includes provisions that would allow the Federal Communications Commission to police the Internet and curb discriminatory actions taken by access providers. But in a letter to Rep Barton, some of the Internet’s biggest players argued that the bill lacked teeth. “We are extremely concerned that legislation before your committee would fail to protect the Internet from discrimination and would deny consumers unfettered access to the tremendous scope of content, applications and services that are available today on the Internet and will be developed in the future,” the letter said. The one-page letter was signed by Amazon.com, eBay, Google, InterActiveCorp, Microsoft and Yahoo!.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6319862.html?display=Breaking+News
* Critics: Telecom Bill Guts Net Neutrality
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3594861
* Internet Firms Want FCC to Enforce Net Neutrality
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Arshad Mohammed]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/28/AR200603...
(requires registration)
* Internet Firms Steamed Over Draft Bill's 'Net Neutrality' Language
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-FGVD1143665902861.html

FRANCHISE BILL FALLS SHORT, SAYS PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Public Knowledge, which advocates for an open Internet and fair-use rights for digital content, says the just-released House Commerce Committee bill that would establish an automatically renewing 10-year national video franchise falls short of protecting the Internet. Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said the group was happy that there was language recognizing the importance of an open Internet. "However," she said, "we do not believe that the draft bill goes far enough. The provisions will not stop the cable and telephone companies from degrading Internet traffic, and they do not contain strong enough penalties to discourage misbehavior. Without stronger legislation, the cable and telephone companies will have the power to change the fundamental nature of the Internet."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6319657?display=Breaking+News

STATEMENT OF KYLE MCSLARROW, NCTA PRESIDENT & CEO
[SOURCE: National Cable & Telecommunications Association press release]
"Earlier drafts of the House bill focused on picking winners and losers on the basis of technology, and we are pleased that focus has now changed. While our policy recommendation would be to reform and streamline the franchising process to ensure speedy entry by new competitors, we are pleased that the national franchising scheme proposed in the House bill seeks to ensure all providers compete on a level playing field. Under any scheme, what matters is the sets of responsibilities assigned to local, state, and federal authorities and we look forward to continuing to work with the Committee to develop an appropriately balanced set of responsibilities for all levels of government. We are also pleased that the House bill reflects an understanding that the competitive marketplace is more than just video, but includes voice competition as well. In fact, the only telecommunications monopoly today is the voice market, where the telephone companies have an 85 percent market share, and we will work to build on the good start in the House bill to ensure that the voice market is fully competitive. Finally, while recognizing that the House bill has a net neutrality provision narrowly tailored to the FCC policy statement issued in 2005, we continue to believe that the better course is for the government to resist injecting itself into a thriving, dynamic market where investment and innovation are flourishing."
http://www.ncta.com/press/press.cfm?PRid=684&showArticles=ok

US TELECOM STATEMENT
[SOURCE: USTelecom press release]
"This draft legislation will eliminate outdated barriers to entry in the video market and will help spur real competition. We applaud Chairmen Barton and Upton for their efforts to bring meaningful video choice to consumers and we will continue to work with both the House and Senate to update our telecom laws, including stabilizing universal service."
http://www.ustelecom.org/news_releases.php?urh=home.news.nr2006_0327

CEA COMMENDS DRAFT HOUSE TELECOM LEGISLATION
[SOURCE: Consumer Electronics Association press release]
"CEA commends Chairman Barton for introducing draft legislation to provide consumers with more choice in video services. Under this bill, the necessary steps have been taken to remove barriers for new entrants in to the video marketplace. Society will benefit from more competition and real choices in broadband. We are pleased that the bill recognizes the importance of ensuring key broadband policy principles. Specifically we are committed to working with Congress, service providers and other affected parties to ensure that a regulatory regime is established allowing for the advancement of new IP-enabled services, while including a commitment to open and unfettered consumer access to content, services and applications and protecting a consumer's ability to connect devices of their choice. More importantly, we need to work to promote and protect the commercial availability of devices that attach to broadband video services. Preserving the retail marketplace for 'edge network' technologies and devices is vital to the success of innovation in this evolving broadband era."
http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=10982