Promise of broadband is yet to be realized, representatives of co...

to help their respective industries. National Strategies Vp Christopher McLean, representing General Motors and Hughes, extolled virtues of EchoStar acquisition of DirecTV, promising that, if regulators approved deal, consumers -- especially those in rural areas -- would have more choices and see broadband deployment faster because of economies of scale that could be achieved with larger company. NCTA Vp-Congressional Relations Steven Vest said FCC should do away with current attribution rules that he said had made some cable companies appear to have more subscribers than they actually did. Under current rules, entity with 5% stake in another company has 2nd company’s subscribers attributed to it. Vest also called for deregulation in general. Verizon Asst. Vp- Internet & Technology Issues Lincoln Hoewing said he believed Tauzin-Dingell bill that House passed Feb. 27, if it became law, would give incentives to ILECs such as his company to deploy broadband to far-off places. David Gardy, CEO of TVWorldwide.com, which creates Internet streaming video and multimedia, sought simply that broadband be deployed to widest audience possible. Panelists agreed digital rights management issues would have to be resolved before more and better content would drive higher take rates for broadband. All denied they had responsibility in that area, saying it was incumbent upon content providers such as artists and their programming producers, in consultation with consumer electronics industry, to find solution to piracy problem.