Two Franchise Articles: NJ and NY
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Cable Industry Affirms the Importance of Local Franchise Agreements
[ would you expect anything less? ]
Local governments should maintain their control over how and where video services are provided, said Karen Alexander, President of the New Jersey Cable Telecommunications Association (NJCTA), speaking before the New Jersey League of Municipalities.
[fac: I wonder if the munis in attendance had ideas of their own?]
Alexander warned that legislation being proposed by Verizon would deny local oversight and make it impossible for municipal officials to protect public safety and local aesthetics -- contrary to the important principle of home rule and need for local government to manage activities in neighborhood streets and rights of way. She also warned that Verizon might favor the wealthiest areas of the state for its cable television service instead of providing service to all areas without regard to income.
"Social and legal obligations to provide non-discriminatory access to all New Jersey consumers must be met by all cable television providers. Otherwise, new services will be available only to the few, most fortunate among us." She added, "Laws governing competition must be fair to all -- consumers and providers, said Alexander.
Responding to Verizon's claim that local franchising will delay competition, Alexander remarked: "Vibrant competition in the video services marketplace is already occurring in New Jersey as evidenced by the rapid growth of satellite providers, which in some cases are partnering with Verizon to deliver service."
NJCTA is a voluntary trade association of companies that provide cable television and advanced telecommunications service to nearly 2.5 million New Jersey customers. NJCTA members include: Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner, Service Electric Cable TV of NJ and U.S. Cable of Paramus-Hillsdale.
cablenj.org
15-Jun-05
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NY Public Service Commission Rejects Cablevision's Verizon Petition
The New York Public Service Commission rejected a petition from Cablevision and the Cable Telecommunications Association of New York that sought to stop Verizon's FTTP rollout until it obtained local franchise agreements for offering cable-TV services.
Verizon described the decision as a victory for New York consumers. "The cable-TV industry, led by Cablevision, failed in this transparent attempt to deny New Yorkers faster, better broadband services and the promise of future choice for TV programming," said Paul A. Crotty, president of Verizon New York/Connecticut.
Verizon has indicated it will not offer cable service in a selected community until a franchise has been obtained. While Verizon seeks video franchises from localities where it is upgrading its network, consumers in those communities will have the benefit of enhanced voice and ultra-fast Internet services offered over the all-fiber network.
verizon.com
15-Jun-05 |
