Riedel Communications

This is related to yesterday's blog
Public Access and PEG channels have been around for over three decades. Watching the way phone company lobbiest influence legislators you might think these people have been living in a dictatorship in a far off place on the globe. They seem to have no idea on the true value and benefits public access can provide to a community.

Nahh... I am a big fan of Bunnie Riedel's blog. She is a strong advocate for public access. In her latest blog she writes, and I pretty much quote, " that in Maryland the Department of Commerce was instructed to commission the study and so they did with the University of Minnesota. And guess what the researchers found out? Come on…20 points for the right answer! Yep, competition doesn’t lower prices and video service providers cherry-pick service areas. “Statewide video franchising—or in some states the practice of state‐issued franchises—has led to an increase in new providers, but the numbers are underwhelming….Texas reports occurrences when cable companies requested amendments to remove cities and towns from their service area. In 2005 and 2006, no removals were recorded for municipalities in Texas.

"at&t really needs to stop Whereasing local communities and abide by the law or they might find themselves Whereased into court." Bunnie Riedel

Chuck wrote that "at&t's so-called PEG Product delivery "Agreements" and their efforts to subvert the very state franchising laws they wrote and got their legislators to pass and their governors to sign rather then actually negotiate local franchises that really served the communities."

Are Mega Giants scamming their way through a franchise process. Municipalities have an obligation to be aware of this type of activity.

Read more
"The Bottom Line".

Thanks to Bunnie for keeping our eyes open on such things.