Full-Court Press on Franchising

FULL-COURT PRESS ON FRANCHISING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Legislators and witnesses generally agreed that some video-franchise reform was needed to spur new video services and the rollout out of high-speed Internet service. But that was where the meeting of the minds ended Wednesday at a marathon House Commerce Committee Hearing on national video franchising legislation spearheaded by House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX). The bill is meant as an update to the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which allowed the telcos to enter the video market. The bill, in its fourth draft, would grant both new entrants, like telcos, and incumbent cable operators, a 10-year, automatically renewing national franchise to deliver video and bundled services, subject to conditions, like franchise fees and public access channel requirements. The goal is to make it easier for new video competitors to launch service than it is under the locality-by-locality franchise process under which cable was required to build its systems. A good deal of debate on Thursday was over Net Neutrality. Without it, critics of the proposed legislation argued, the "garage entrepreneurs" who build companies like Google and Netscape might never make it out of the garage.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6320531?display=Breaking+News

* Barton: Give Consumers More Options For Pay TV Services
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/News/03302006_1832.htm

* Dems Blast Video Bell Bill Backed by GOP
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10022...

* Democrats attack new bill over Net neutrality
http://news.com.com/Democrats+attack+new+bill+over+Net+neutrality/2100-1...

* Markey Attacks, Barton Defends Telecom Legislation
http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives/001358markey_attacks_barton_defends_...

* 'Clear And Present Danger' For Telecom Reform Bill
http://www.internetnews.com/article.php/3595576

* Armey: Pass a Market Oriented Telecom Bill
http://www.freedomworks.org/informed/issues_template.php?issue_id=2544

* House Bill Promising Cable Relief, Fails to Deliver
http://www.hearusnow.org/other/newsroom/tvradiocable/housebillpromisingc...

BUYER: CURB CITY TELECOM ENTRY
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) raised concerns Thursday about a bill that would allow local governments to provide broadband Internet access regardless of the state of competition in the relevant market. He supports adding a provision to legislation drafted by House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) that would require local governments to allow private companies to fill a communications void before taxpayer dollars could be put at risk.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6320487.html?display=Breaking+News