Dueling Commentary on Video Franchising (USA Today)

WE'LL GIVE USERS CHOICES
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: USTA President Walter McCormick]
[Commentary] Local telecommunications companies have a 150-year tradition of connecting people with each other. As we invest billions of dollars in new, advanced broadband networks, our commitment remains the same: We will connect you to whomever you choose, and we will not block, impair, or degrade any content, applications or services. The Internet freedom you have today, you will have tomorrow. No one in today's debate opposes Internet freedom. We differ only in this: We do not believe that now is the time to close the chapter on Internet innovation and progress by turning to government-managed competition and central planning, no matter how well-intentioned. Those who invest in advanced fiber, wireline and wireless broadband networks should be free to offer new services, and new pricing and service options, in a marketplace characterized by robust competition and consumer choice.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060216/oppose16.art.htm

DON'T LET PHONE GIANT 'CTRL' WHAT YOU GET ON 'NET
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] In the history of great ideas, the Internet will surely rank near the top. In a relatively short time, it has made vast amounts of information searchable, sortable and readily available with a few key strokes. Much of the Internet's appeal is that no one controls it in the way that, say, a grocery store decides which brands to stock. Within its virtual walls, a start-up such as MySpace or Craigslist can surge to prominence entirely on the power of an idea. Now, some very old-school companies want to change all that. Using market dominance achieved through the relative scarcity of lines into people's homes, phone companies such as BellSouth, Verizon and AT&T are eyeing a system that would demand that operators of search engines, e-commerce sites and other Web applications pay them fees or be relegated to the slow lane. Competition might keep the phone companies from putting the squeeze on website operators. That would be the best outcome. But consumers in many parts of the country have little choice in broadband, so Congress is appropriately exploring legislation that would lay out a principle of “Net neutrality” that would require all websites to receive equal access. Telecommunications companies say they are not altering the Internet, merely offering a new ultra-high-speed tier of service on top of it. Don't be fooled. Once they begin choosing search engines, auction sites and other applications for their premium service, they alter the entire competitive landscape. In this new world, companies would have to spend more time kowtowing to the likes of AT&T and less time innovating. That doesn't sound like such a great idea.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060216/edit16.art.htm

CABLE INDUSTRY ADS TARGET PHONE FIRMS' PUSH INTO TV
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: James S. Granelli]
A simmering battle between the cable TV industry and major phone companies is about to boil over. Cable operators plan to start running ads today that accuse AT&T, Verizon Communications and other major phone carriers of lying to the public and elected officials as the companies use their networks to roll out new television services. The ads, which will debut in Indiana, call the phone companies "fibbers" for using "phoney baloney" consumer groups to argue that carriers need a change in cable franchising rules so they can enter local markets more quickly. "Why do they really want to change the law?" one ad asks. "To raise your phone rates and be able to pick and choose what neighborhoods to serve."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-phonetv16feb16,1,2675...
(requires registration)