state legislation aftermath

Tangled Up in Cable

Stevie Converse — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:46:27 -0400

Full article: Detroit Metro Times
Sandra Svoboda
Michigan enacted a statewide video franchising law in 2007. The telco and cable industries said it would bring competition and lower prices. But those benefits have not be realized, and the law is being challenged by local communities who can't help their residents with consumer concerns, terms of the contracts are not made public and PEG channel fees are in jeopardy.

PEG Has Blurry Future in Golden State

Stevie Converse — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:46:31 -0500

Full article: Multichannel News
Linda Haugsted
Communities throughout California will see less public-access programming this year, as cable operators turn support of those channels over to cities and counties under the terms of the 2006 law that put the state in charge of cable franchises.

U-verse or U-Discrimination? AT&T's Fiber Rollout Increasing Digital Divide

Stevie Converse — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:43:10 -0500

Full article: Davis Freeberg's Digital Connection
AT&T is cherry-picking neighborhoods for the U-verse broadband service in Oakland, California. And according to the new statewide video franchising law, the practice is perfectly legal.