Wow, instead of local monopolies, they now get to be state-wide monopolies...
GReat idea... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ neofast.net - fast internet for North East Oregon and South East Washington email me at mark at neofast dot net 541-969-8200 Direct commercial inquiries to purchasing at neofast dot net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dawn DiPietro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 6:11 AM Subject: [WISPA] Langberg: State tries its hand at telecom regulation > Langberg: State tries its hand at telecom regulation > By Mike Langberg > Mercury News > > Before you go any further, please get two toothpicks and prop open your > eyes to keep from falling asleep. > > I'm going to talk about changes in state regulation of > telecommunications, a topic that's usually a sure cure for insomnia. > > But don't give up. > > This involves how much you pay and where you get Internet access, TV and > phone service. (And don't really put toothpicks in your eyes -- it's > dangerous.) So here goes: This week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is > expected to sign the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of > 2006, also known by its designation in the Legislature, AB 2987. The new > law will accelerate a profound transformation in the way information and > entertainment comes into our homes. > > Telephone companies, most notably AT&T and Verizon, will be able to > obtain a single statewide franchise agreement to offer TV service > through their wires. > > Cable companies, most notably Comcast, will also get to switch to a > single statewide franchise once the phone companies start providing TV. > > This ends the previous system, in place for nearly half a century, by > which cable companies negotiated franchise agreements with each city > where they offered service. > > Almost no one, other than the cities themselves, is mourning the end of > local franchising. > > The process was time-consuming and expensive, and it yielded little for > consumers. > > City councils, routinely outgunned by big cable companies with high-paid > lobbyists and lawyers, would bargain for trinkets, such as an extra TV > camera at the local community-access studio, during franchise renewal talks. > > The politicians would ignore, or were powerless to change, what > consumers really cared about: abysmal customer service and high prices. > > Cable companies have cleaned up their act somewhat in recent years, but > only because of the competitive threat from satellite TV services such > as DirecTV and Dish Network. > > The poor track record of local cable franchise agreements, along with > millions of dollars in lobbying money from AT&T and others, explains why > AB 2987 sailed through the Legislature. > > The Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 77-0 on May 31, and the Senate > followed with a 33-4 vote on Aug. 29. > > AT&T and Verizon are now promising to rapidly improve their home > broadband connections in California, making them fast enough to deliver > TV along with regular Internet access. > > ``We needed to remove this barrier'' of local franchise agreements, Jeff > Weber, vice president for broadband strategy at AT&T headquarters in San > Antonio, said in an interview earlier this month. > > The new law ``gives us the certainty that we'll be able to obtain a > franchise to make this massive investment,'' added Tim McCallion, West > region president for Verizon, which provides phone service locally in > Los Gatos, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. > > The cable industry initially opposed the bill because it wouldn't have > allowed statewide franchising for cable companies, but immediately > switched sides when the bill was amended to let cable companies phase > out local franchise agreements. > > If everything proceeds as expected -- never a sure bet with big telecom > providers -- most homes in California should within a few years be able > to choose between two ultra-high-speed broadband connections: one from > the cable company, and one from the phone company. > > Whichever of these fat pipes you choose, it would be the only connection > you'd need for Internet access, phone calls, TV and other online services. > > In theory, at least, the struggle between the two behemoths will hold > down prices. > > There is indeed evidence that TV rates are lower in the handful of > communities around the nation where the local phone company is offering > video service in competition with the local cable company. > > Fortunately, we'll have additional protection. DirecTV and Dish Network > are looking at ways to offer home broadband service, and future wireless > networks could also keep the phone and cable companies from turning into > a two-headed monopoly. > > Some consumer advocates did object to AB 2987, more out of concern that > phone and cable companies would be too lightly regulated than out of any > nostalgia for local franchise agreements. > > It's important, I believe, not to confuse the two issues. > > The end of local franchising for TV service is a good thing. City > councils aren't the right place to tackle something as complicated as > telecommunications regulation. > > But we still need appropriate regulation, especially around the > much-discussed concept of network neutrality. > > The fat pipes coming into our homes must be an open link to the digital > world. We need to be able to go anywhere online, without AT&T or Verizon > or Comcast unfairly favoring their own offerings. > > As long as the state's politicians and regulators refuse to be > intimidated, AB 2987 could ultimately do as much for consumers as for > the big telecom companies that pushed the bill forward. > > http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/personal_technology/15602893.htm > --- > --- > > -- > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
