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/Ø-3 TELECOM from page 1 .................................. . . . . . . . . . . . Bills regarding franchises, municipal utilities and other issues have been introduced. None have seen formal legislative action, and it is too earty to determine which of the many vehicles will become major items of discussion. But each touches upon an issue that is likely to be dis- cussed once Congress begins in eamest with the rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. It is unclear at this point what form, if any, telecommunications reform will take in Califomia this year. The Legislature remains on recess, and meetings regarding telecommunications reform have been halted until the Legislature retums the week of August 15. Legislators then have only four weeks to finish their work before recessing on September 9. In the meantime, the League's board of direc- tors unanimously approved a set of broad telecom- munications principles during their July 29-30 meeting in Monterey. These principles broadly outline the direction cities want to promote when discussing potential changes in telecommunica- tions regulations and laws. (See "Telecommunica- tions Principles," right.) What You Can Do. The League remains an active participant in discussions suITOunding telecommunications at the state and national levels. It's important for city officials to become educated about this issue so you can respond when we call upon you to advocate. Get Smart About the Telecommunications Issue. Review the principles following this story. Get to know the details of your local franchises and utility user taxes - the process, the revenues, what these revenues support. Be prepared to let your representatives know how changes in this area could impact your citizens and the services you provide. We'll need your help as legislation evolves and our representatives are asked to take positions on issues of great concern to our cities. Complete the League's Telecommunica- tions Survey. Your city will also soon receive a Telecommunications Survey from the League. Please be sure to give it your immediate attention, and fill it out and return it to us. The information we collect will allow the League to better under- stand and communicate to policy makers about the impacts to local services if franchise fees and Utility User Taxes (UUT's) are threatened. TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRINCIPLES (ADOPTED BY THE LEAGUE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, JULY 30, 2005) Introduction Over the next five years, the transforma- tion of telecommunications policy at the federal, state and local level will have a profound effect on the delivery of public services, the quality of life and the economic development of local communities in Califor- nia. It is critical that the League of Califomia Cities take a leadership role in the public debate over communications policy and that the League makes every effort to encourage local city officials to lead in the development of communications policies in their local communities. To establish a framework to accomplish these goals, the League sets forth the following base principles to begin this effort and debate: . As landlords of the public right-of-way in our local communities, the League sup- ports measures that recognize, strengthen and protect local control over the taxpayer's public right-of-way. . Access to the public right-of-way by all companies providing communications should first require the acquisition of a fran- chise agreement from the appropriate public agency. The franchise agreement gives a regulatory uniformity for all competing com- panies. (more...) Continued on Page 4 Visit the League's Official Website--www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 3 ,.,....-.