City Officials Blast Ensign Bill
By Ted Hearn
MultiChannel News
8/3/2005 1:26:00 PM
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA631845.html
Local regulators are denouncing a Senate telecommunications bill for
eliminating their authority to supervise companies that want to dig up
streets to lay wires that will offer the consumers the latest in voice,
video and data services.
"Local governments want and welcome competition in their communities, but
this legislation is certainly not an acceptable approach and will not
achieve the stated goals of competition and consumer choice," said Coralie
Wilson, president of the National Association of Telecommunications
Officers and Advisors.
Last week, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) unveiled sweeping legislation (S.
1504) that would block cities from forcing phone companies to obtain video
franchises -- a regulatory process that cable companies have followed in
thousands of communities. Although phone companies would not face buildout
requirements, they would need to contribute up to 5% of video revenue as
compensation to use local rights of way.
But the fact that the Ensign bill would eliminate franchising has triggered
a strong response from NATOA, a group largely comprised of local officials
that oversee the details of cable-franchise agreements.
In late June, Ensign announced that his bill would eliminate local
franchising. But his decision to go forward apparently caught NATOA off
guard, especially when Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens
(R-Alaska) had been reaching out to cities and other groups about crafting
a new telecommunications law.
"I am surprised that Sen. Ensign has not taken the same deliberate
approach, or provided for the interests of all parties to be considered,"
NATOA executive director Libby Beaty said. "We hope that by providing the
facts and educating those serving in Congress, we may be able to shed light
on the variety of detrimental effects this legislation would have on
consumers, local governments and our economy."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
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