(Las Vegas, NV) FCC Chairman Kevin Martin gave the telephone industry some good news during a keynote speech at Telecom 05. (The speech was delivered via satellite given that Martin is expecting the birth of his child at any moment and was reluctant to leave Washington.) The FCC will issue an NPRM on cable franchising at its next meeting, slated for next week.
Specifically, Martin has proposed to his Commission colleagues a rulemaking that will presumably put some teeth into a federal law that bars cities from granting exclusive franchsing. Telcos, particularly Verizon and SBC, have complained about the delays encountered when seeking cable franchises for their video efforts.
Specifically, Section 621 of the statute prohibits local authorities from granting exclusive franchises and from unreasonably refusing to award a second franchise. So what should the Commission do? I recently presented my colleagues with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that asks how the local franchising process is working and what actions, if any, the Commission should take to fulfill Congress’s directive that franchising authorities not grant exclusive franchises or unreasonably refuse to award additional competitive franchises. I plan on the Commission considering this item at our November meeting which is just a few days away.
Cynthia Brumfield at 2:16 AM|Comments(0)
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