Local Groups Petition FCC to Stay Ruling on Video-Franchise Reform

LOCAL GROUPS PETITION FCC TO STAY RULING ON VIDEO-FRANCHISE REFORM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable 12/21/07, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Local franchise authorities, including the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, have asked the FCC to stay its Oct. 31 decision extending to incumbent cable operators essentially the same video-franchise reforms it gave telco video providers in an earlier ruling. In a petition for the stay and reconsideration of the decision, the local government groups -- more than a half dozen of them, including the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors -- argued that the commission failed to preempt "most-favored nation" clauses (which specify that the a new entrants can't get better terms than the incumbent) or to base its decision on "appropriate economic impact analysis." The groups further pointed out that they had filed a lawsuit against the initial decision granting franchise relief to telco video providers.
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