Cable competitiveness and broadband deployment spur economic development

CABLE COMPETITIVENESS AND BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)]
[Commentary] Last week, the House overwhelmingly -- by a supermajority vote of 321-101 -- approved HR 5252, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enforcement Act of 2006. In approving this legislation, the House emphatically and unhesitatingly rejected the status quo in the cable-television marketplace, in which most consumers have access to only one cable provider and prices steadily climb, and embraced choice and competition — and the lower prices and innovative services this will bring. The status quo is that only 2 percent of the cable marketplace is being served by more than one provider, so the vast majority of consumers have no choice, notwithstanding the fact that there are cable overbuilders and, thanks to new technology and investment, phone companies (both big and small, rural ones) that seek to compete in the cable marketplace. But with approximately 33,000 local franchise authorities nationwide, the locality-by-locality-by-locality franchise-negotiation process is standing in the way their competitive entry and progress. H.R. 5252 will help drive investment in broadband deployment and bring multiple providers of bundled voice, video and broadband data services than ever before. And this competition will bring prices down as a result, which will be great news to family budgets across the nation.
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/061406/ss_upton...