FCC hopes to speed phone companies' entry into TV

FCC HOPES TO SPEED PHONE COMPANIES' ENTRY INTO TV
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Trying to spur competition and beat back cable TV prices, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed rules to make it easier for phone companies and others to jump into the video business. The proposed order aims to streamline the video franchise approval process, FCC officials said. They declined to be named because the order has not been formally adopted. The other four FCC commissioners are reviewing it. Chairman Martin is using the FCC's upcoming annual report on cable TV prices as ammunition. FCC officials say the report shows that satellite TV and cable TV operators have settled into a cozy duopoly, keeping prices in a steady, upward climb. It shows the average price of cable TV in 2005 was $43.33 a month. Where satellite TV also was available, the average was $43.34. But in markets with another “wired” video provider, the price was dramatically less: $35.94. The upshot: Absent credible land-based rivals, cable TV prices will keep going up.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20061201/1b_fcc_martin01.art....