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NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Free Press, the national, nonpartisan media reform group, today applauded the defeat of Arizona House Bill 2563 – which would have gutted local "franchise fees" across the state that sustain local media and support public safety.

"The Arizona Cable Telecommunications Association used a well-financed campaign of deceit to get as far as they did," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. "They promised this would save Arizonans money on their cable bills. Fortunately, the legislature saw through these lies. Cable prices only go in one direction — up, up and up some more. This legislation was simply a cynical effort to pad the industry's profit margins at the public's expense."

HB 2563 would have tied the hands of local governments in negotiating with monopoly cable providers across the state, slashing by 20 percent the "franchise fees" that cable companies pay to cities in exchange for being allowed to dig up city streets and profit from public rights-of-way. The cable companies would have pocketed millions of dollars that now support city services — meaning less money for police, fire fighters and public safety.

The bill would have barred Arizona cities from having more than two public, educational and governmental (PEG) channels. And it would have subtracted the cost of operating these outlets from the already reduced franchise fees, forcing many local broadcasters off the air. Tuscon, for example, negotiated for nine PEG channels from Cox in exchange for its monopoly on cable TV in the city.

"This bill served as a national barometer for Big Cable and Big Telecom," said Free Press campaign director Russ Newman. "If this bill had become law, it would have sent the industry a strong signal that pliable legislators were willing to ignore the public interest and do the industry's bidding. We're pleased that the Arizona legislature sent the opposite message: that local control and community voices are more important than lining the pockets of media moguls."

Free Press is launching the "Defend Local Access" initiative to track similar challenges to local control across the country. The effort is aimed at countering industry misinformation and opposing attempts by the largest cable and telecommunications companies to shackle cities and town with one-size-fits-all, take-it-or-leave it service that ignores local needs.

"The public outcry by Arizona citizens at this power grab by powerful cable companies sends a clear message," Newman said. "The days when powerful cable companies could quietly railroad legislation behind closed doors in statehouses across the country are coming to an end."

For more information about the Defend Local Access campaign, go to http://www.freepress.net/defendlocalaccess.

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