Cable competition sought

CABLE COMPETITION SOUGHT
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Jon Van and Jeffrey Meitrodt]
The Illinois state legislature is making a push to increase competition in the cable television market that will bring a side effect all TV watchers could appreciate: a promised cap in the number of hours spent waiting for the cable guy. The proposal, which has broad support in Springfield, will make it easier for AT&T to go up against cable operators in Illinois because it streamlines cable franchising rules, doing away with a cumbersome system in which new TV service providers must seek town-by-town approval for laying wires. Statewide franchising in Illinois was first opposed by municipalities, the cable industry and various consumer groups, but a drastic rewrite of the measure fostered by legislators and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan includes several requirements that neutralized opposition. Cable operators would have to give customers a four-hour appointment window, and if a technician doesn't show up within that period, the customer automatically gets a $25 account credit. Currently, some customers have to wait 8 to 12 hours for a technician, and sometimes they never show up on the scheduled day, said Ben Weinberg, chief of the attorney general's public interest division. To make sure AT&T and other companies that enter the cable business don't cherry-pick the richest neighborhoods, the legislation mandates that companies devote a large portion of their new systems to low-income neighborhoods. In Chicago, AT&T would be required to build at least 40 percent of its system in poorer areas, matching the city's low-income rate. Statewide, that figure will be 30 percent. The House passed the bill last week and the Senate is expected to ratify it soon, though anything can happen during the legislature's overtime session. While municipalities have dropped their opposition to statewide franchising, some individuals have not. "I hope the governor vetoes it," said Peter Collins, information technologies manager for the city of Geneva. "It has a lot of loopholes. I don't see it as a good thing."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed_tv_0606jun06,0,2622544.st...