Save Access

from: Sioux City Journal

Culver signs cable television expansion bill

Governor vetoes Missouri River panel changes
By Dan Gearino Journal Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES -- Gov. Chet Culver closed the books on this year's legislative session Tuesday, signing 11 bills, including a measure that will allow cable television providers to apply for the right to sell their services statewide.

Culver vetoed two bills, including one that would have reorganized the state panel that oversees issues related to the Missouri River.

The cable television measure replaces a system in which cable providers needed to get approval from local governments, a process that critics say has led to high prices and few choices.

"It will be good for consumers because they will have more choices for video services and are likely to have lower prices and improved services," said Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, the bill's lead sponsor.

Iowa joins about a dozen states that have revised cable franchise rules to encourage competition. Often, the competition comes from telephone companies that decide to enter the cable business. Qwest, the largest phone company in Iowa, was one of the leading supporters of the measure.

The leading opponent was the Iowa League of Cities, which argued that local franchise agreements allow cities to customize services to local needs. Cable companies provide free or reduced-cost services to local governments in exchange for the right to serve local customers.

Evansdale Mayor John Mardis, a past president of the League of Cities, said the bill is just the latest chapter in the erosion of local control. "We prefer government closer to home rather than farther away," he said.

Under the new regulatory structure, cable providers would apply to the Iowa Utilities Board for the right to offer services statewide. The bill includes provisions intended to ensure a level playing field for new competitors and reduce the potential harm to local governments.

Warnstadt said it's too early to guess how soon the new system may translate into new options for customers. The next step is for the Utilities Board to come up with rules for how to comply with the law.

The Missouri River measure would have made changes to the Interagency Missouri River Authority, a group that fosters cooperation between state agencies and other states on issues related to the river.

The bill would have required the group to have a unanimous vote to take certain actions. This was one of several provisions that Culver said would harm the group. "I believe the changes to the authority's governance structure, as set forth in Senate File 543, would reduce our government's effectiveness in managing this vital natural resource," Culver said in a statement.

The governor also vetoed a bill that would have expanded the ability of city-owned businesses to collect delinquent payments. Culver said the bill would do disproportionate harm to low-income Iowans.

Among the other bills signed were the remaining pieces of the 2007-08 state budget.

Culver used his line-item veto power to strike small parts of the budget, including:

-- $120,000 for landscaping accessories on the Capitol complex, part of the installation of a park on the west side of the Capitol. Culver said this project has already gotten millions of dollars in funding and shouldn't need extra money. Legislative Republicans made the same argument when the money was approved.

-- $1 million in recurring annual funding for the World Food Prize. Culver approved the funding for the 2007-08 year, but vetoed a provision that makes the funding a recurring part of future budgets. He said the item should be approved every year.

-- An extension of the Community Action and Tourism program from 2011 to 2013 and an increase in the maximum grant from the program from $4 million to $6 million. Culver said there is no need to extend the program now because there are still several years before it expires.

On the grant limits, he said he opposes the higher limit because it would potentially reduce the amount of money available to other projects.

Dan Gearino can be reached at 515-243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net.