Barton: Support National Cable Bill

BARTON: SUPPORT NATIONAL CABLE BILL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) sent a letter to every House member Monday seeking support for his bill, which would create a national cable-franchising system sought by major phone companies. The bill (HR 5252), Rep Barton said in a one-page letter co-signed by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), would "bring more choices, lower bills and better video services by creating a single, national approval process that will speed entry of competitors.” Under current law, cable companies are required to negotiate contracts, called franchises, with local governments before offering cable service. "One company official testified that if AT&T signed a franchise agreement every day, it would take more than seven years to complete its deployment plan," the Barton-Rush letter declared. "We must clear roadblocks on the information superhighway." Critics say the bill lacks explicit requirements to build out entire franchise areas as local franchises require cable incumbents. The Barton-Rush letter did not directly reference the controversial buildout issue. Instead, it said the bill would “bring faster broadband in more places, especially in rural areas.” Another benefit of the bill, the Barton-Rush letter added, were provisions designed to ensure that broadband-access providers would pay a price for discriminating against Web-based services offered by Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. The bill includes a $500,000 fine per violation. The bill would “preserve network neutrality by allowing the Federal Communications Commission explicit power to go after companies that violate network-neutrality principles,” the letter said.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6335164.html?display=Breaking+News