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Note: True to their blind de-regulatory politics, these lawmakers contradict themselves and their own position. Just a year ago, these same legislators rammed the COPE act through the House under the auspices of making cable more competitive. In this letter to the FCC they now take the exact opposite position. The only consistency to be found in these hack politicians is the level of lobbyist and corporate dollars rolling into their campaigns.

from: Wet Machine

GOP To America: All Well In Cable-Land! Skyrocketing Rates and Lousy Customer Service All In Your Mind! Forget What We Said Last Summer About Needing COPE!

Harold Feld

I must applaud the Republican House Commerce Committee members for their willingness to stay bought.

God knows, with the number of issues on their plate and with their party's standing plummeting in the polls, you'd think Republicans would decline to publicly defend the cable industry. What with rates consistently rising faster than inflation (and despite increasing profits-per-subscriber until the last quarter or so), cable operators have raised rates every year - whether they need to or not. As if that were not enough, the customer service records of the major cable companies are abominable (or why would Mona “The Hammer” Shaw have attained folk-hero status?). So with us heading into an election, and the Republicans weighed down by all the baggage of the Iraq War, corruption scandals, accusations of cronyism and mismanagement, and a general anti-special interest sentiment in the electorate, you wouldn't think the Republican party would rise up en mass to defend the cable industry from one of their own?

from: Toward Freedom

I Want My Community TV: Public Access Television Faces Threats

Written by Megan Tady
Tuesday, 30 October 2007

Imagine you know a thief is going to pilfer your television in the middle of the night? Most likely, you would take action to stop it – lock your doors, hide your TV, or in one last ditch effort for revenge, at least hide your remote. Imagine you knew that in the broadest of daylight, corporations and government were going to pinch not your television, but the only TV channels that give you, the citizen, a voice and a hand in local programming? Well grab your bat, because there’s someone at your door.

from: Technology Daily

Rep. Dingell Is Back In Charge,But With Some Changed Views

By David Hatch

(Monday, January 22) Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is a readily recognizable face in Washington and on the panel.

This is how members of the new 110th Congressional House Commerce Telecommunications Subcommittee voted on COPE HR5252 last year. Nine of the current 18 Democrats voted for COPE, let’s hope they have become better informed on the issues of PEG TV, Red-lining and Net Neutrality since then.

See their ‘06 donations at: COPE Scorecard

from: Multichannel News

Q/A with Nick Miller, Miller & Van Eaton

Nick Miller is an expert in the law and policy governing cable television and telephone regulation, and in the legislative aspects of communications law. He represents local governments, airports, and national local government associations in cable television and telecommunications matters. He has worked extensively with international multilateral agencies engaged in telecommunications policy advice to developing countries. Miller talked to Focus on Customer Care about franchising. An edited transcript follows:

from: LA Times

Congress likely to hang up on ’06 telecom reform

By Jim Puzzanghera
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON – Big phone companies trying to dial in an overhaul of telecommunications laws will have to hang up and try the call again next year.

The Democratic takeover of Congress makes it increasingly unlikely that AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. will be able to push through stalled legislation to make it easier for them to sell pay television.

from: Center for Public Integrity

Strains Showing in Longtime Friendship
Telecom firms have supported Rep. Dingell, and until recently, the incoming House committee chairman has supported them

By Drew Clark

WASHINGTON, November 21, 2006 — Rep. John Dingell greeted the Republican-drafted telecommunications bill, designed to speed the Bell companies' entry into the television marketplace, with sarcasm and cynicism.

from: Technology Daily

Telecom, Cable Interests Channel
Donations To Republican Incumbents

By David Hatch
Monday, August 14

Officials of dominant telephone and cable TV companies vying for an upper hand in pending telecommunications legislation are contributing heavily this election season to Republican incumbents who share those firms' deregulatory outlook.

from: Pinnacle News

The fight for local TV
Sunday, August 13, 2006
By Kate Woods

CMAP's director becomes "David" pitted against Goliath telephone companies

Don't look now, but if you live in Gilroy, Hollister or San Juan Bautista, you're on the verge of losing the few stations on your cable menu that give you what you want.