AgdaPkt 2005-06-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ð~.ð TELECOMMUNICATIONS: CALIFORNIA TALKS HEAT UP WHilE CONGRESS PREPARES TO REVISIT THE '96 TEtECOMM ACT NEXT YEAR The discussion began with a narrow, but important, legislative proposal introduced by As- . sembly Member Hector De la Torre, AB 903. The measure was introduced at the request of Verizon and would have changed requirements for com- petitors entering the marKet to provide \/Ít1eo ser- vices to customers. Under current law,a competi- tor entering the marKet to provide video services must serve the same service area as the incum- bent video provider. In most, if not all cases, the incumbent video provider is a cable television company. Verizon, being a "telephone company" is . As landlords of the public right-of-way in interested in entering the video marKet and AS 903 our local communities, the League suPP9rts proposes to eliminate the requirement that they measures that recognize and strengthen local service the entire area of the incumbent cable control over the public right-of-way. provider and permit them to only provide services . Access to the public right-of-way by all to the area they now serve as a telephone com- companies providing telecommunications ser- pany. This measure, predictably, was opposed by vices should first require the acquisition of a the cable companies and after several attempts to franchise agreement from the appropriate public bring the bill up for a hearing, the author deferred to agency. the wishes of the chair of the Assembly Utilities and " _Any ~lecomlJ\YD.ications' company obtain- Commerce Committee to holdtlÎë bill incorTìmit-" ' i~g a franchise should pay the appropriate fran- tee. The committee chair is Assernbly Lloyd Levine chise fee for the privilege granted by the public and his goal is to use this measure as a vehide to entity. discuss a more comprehensive approach to tile. .'. . Any company providing telecommunica- regulàtion and deployment of video services in this tions services to a local community should also rapidly converging telecommunications industry. be required to provide or support Public, Educa- 1ional and Govemmental (PEG) access to new networKs including PEG equipment, funding and support. . Local communities should provide an equitàble regulatory and taxation frameworK for all companies seeking to provide telecommunica- tions services to a community. As the budget season gets into full swing with the usual hyperbole on all sides, the issue of telecommunications policy is beginning to heat up in the Legislature. On the other side of the legislature, the Senate Chair of the Energy, Utilities and Commerce Committee has introduced legislation to also take a more comprehensive approach on the issues of regulating the telecommunications industry. The bill being carried by Senator Martha Escutia is S8 850. City officials should keep an eye on both proposals. It is possible that one or. both could end up in a conference committee at the end of the session. The stated intent óf Assembly Member Levine is to have a product ready to go before the end of the session. The League has been and ÇC>...!lti,nues to be a participant in these discussions. In addition, the League Telecommunications Subcommittee has been reinvigorated and is working on refining our policies to meet some of the new issues in the telecomm debate this time around. The efforts of this committee are intended to give direction to the organization not only on issues breaking in Saaamento, but also Washington DC as Con- gress prepares to enter the debate in the fall of this year and next year. The League has held a number of core issues in the telecomm debate and continues to emphasize these issues with the legislature. Those core principles are: We will keep you closely informed about the progress on this issue, both in California and in Washington DC. Visit the League's Official Websiteuwww.ca ities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 3