Leased Access: How Much?

The head of the Leased Access Programmers Association, Charlie Stogner, has been trying to find out how much he should be paying to lease space from cable operators, so far to no avail, he said. The Federal Communications Commission earlier this year voted to lower the rate cable operators can charge, arguing that it would spur competition and diversity in multichannel-video programming. The rules were set to kick in May 28, but the Office of Management and Budget reviews drafts of many new regulations -- including the leased-access order -- per the 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act to make sure they don't unnecessarily lead to more paperwork. The Bush administration has been trying to better enforce the 90-day limit on that OMB review, so Stogner wants to find out when the draft was submitted so he can try to figure out when cable operators will be required to quote him a new rate. "The delays in new rules, especially the rates, becoming effective are really hurting those of us that struggle to have cable cooperate," he said in an e-mail to FCC deputy general counsel Joseph Palmore.
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