If FCC doesn’t tackle issue of local regulatory preemption of cab...
If FCC doesn’t tackle issue of local regulatory preemption of cable modem when it addresses definition of service at agenda meeting Thurs., there could be resurgence of open access requirements in states and localities, said Coleen Quinn, Insight Communications…
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senior vp-corporate relations. Speaking at Cable TV Public Affairs Assn. forum in Washington Mon., she said industry feared cities might take advantage of FCC ambiguity on preemption to “jump into fees and open access requirements. Depending on what happens at the Commission, we may be back in the open access business.” Issue, she said, had died down except in R.I. On cable telephony issues, she said MSOs had to beware of “anticompetitive” legislation being pushed by Bells. Insight was facing such situation in Ill. and Ind., Quinn said. SBC was pushing legislation to require cable to deploy first to residential consumers before serving businesses, she said, and “we don’t need to be told by someone else how to build out our networks.” Also, it’s good opportunity now for state cable associations to impress on lawmakers need to treat DBS on par with cable as far as taxes are concerned, she said. Speaking on same panel, Nilda Gumbs, asst. dir. of NCTA’s Office of Cable Theft, said cable and theft was costing industry estimated $6.6 billion annually in lost revenue. She said cable operators seeking to change outmoded theft of service legislation in states should ensure that mandatory sentencing and damages were included for violators.