At Convention, Bell Firms Hear Accolades -- And Barbs

[SOURCE: Technology Daily , AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
One came to make a deal with Caesar, the other to bury him. David Barrett, chief executive officer of Hearst-Argyle, a major broadcasting group that owns 10 NBC stations and 12 ABC stations, spoke to an audience at the United States Telecom Association annual meeting seeking cooperation on "multicast must-carry." Broadcasters and the cable industry are engaged in a heated lobbying battle on Capitol Hill over whether cable operators should be required to carry the multicast television streams that digital television enables broadcasters to produce. "Today, I propose a partnership of broadcasters' new content and telephones' new technology," Barrett said. "Multicasting is a vitally important service," Barrett said, adding that "the timing of your entry could not be more opportune" because it offers local broadcasters an additional competitive outlet for distributing local digital programs. Barrett also urged the Bells to join his lobbying battle. "We are in the throes of a political battle in Washington, with cable competitors that would restrict access to multi-channel programming. If telephone companies can help us secure multicast coverage, you will find broadcasters particularly excited about your arrival [into television]," he said. Meanwhile, at the same meeting, Cox Communications Chief Executive Officer Jim Robins said, "I admire your leagues of lobbyists, but it is not acceptable to have two highly different rules in the same highly competitive market." He was referring to efforts by USTA and two of its biggest members, SBC Communications and Verizon Communications, to secure national or statewide video franchises -- as opposed to going to local municipalities to obtain approval. Current law requires cable companies to get separate local franchises.
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