Forward: Teleco/Cabe REg. & Free speech

TELECOM REFORM, REPUBLICAN-STYLE Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD) has
proposed a telecommunications reform plan that would drop all cable TV
rate regulations; allow local phone and cable competition and
cross-ownership in one year; ease foreign ownership restrictions; and
allow local phone companies to compete in long distance in three
years. A formal counter proposal is expected from the Democrats
February 14, and it's expected that there will be objections to most
of the provisions outlined in Pressler's bill. (Investor's Business
Daily 2/2/95 A4)

(((cut here)))

For those that don't know I have my Master's in Interactive
Telecommunications, and have long looked at cable and teleco from
several angles including freemarket and cypherpunk viewpoints.

While there is a lack of detail here, I strongly endorse anything that
lets cable and phone companies compete. They have largely the same
customer base (although telco's have a larger % of the base), but the
cable companies are in a better opportunity to over PCS,
higher-bandwidth networking, and video on demand.

What we have to watch out for is FCC regulation. It is well excepted
that the FCC can censor commercial speech (cig. ads), and individual
speech (the 7 dirty words), in the "public" interest.

Cable and Teleco are FCC regulated. If they provide the network of
the future, as opposed to UUnet-Microsoft (for example), we might
have to be careful..

The "model" of interactivity most "thinking" people endorse is one
that is two way. The FCC does really monitor what you say on the phone
(although who knows about the NSA ;)... If you can in the brave new
Telco/Cable future send as well as receive.. and send in
broadcast-like mode... are you subject to content approval from the
FCC?

We should strongly endorse this move by. Sen. Pressler as it will
get us broadband to many homes in 5 to 7 years, but we have to
remain concerned about our freedom to speak not matter if that is
one on one, or to a large group!

/hawk


-- 
Harry S. Hawk  		   habs@panix.com
Product Marketing Manager
PowerMail, Inc. 	   Producers of MailWeir(tm) & PowerServ(tm)

In article <199502041358.AA09885@panix.com> habs@panix.com (Harry S. Hawk) writes:
>TELECOM REFORM, REPUBLICAN-STYLE Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD) has
>proposed a telecommunications reform plan that would drop all cable TV
>rate regulations; allow local phone and cable competition and
>cross-ownership in one year; ease foreign ownership restrictions; and
>allow local phone companies to compete in long distance in three
>years. A formal counter proposal is expected from the Democrats
>February 14, and it's expected that there will be objections to most
>of the provisions outlined in Pressler's bill. (Investor's Business
>Daily 2/2/95 A4)
>
>(((cut here)))
>
>For those that don't know I have my Master's in Interactive
>Telecommunications, and have long looked at cable and teleco from
>several angles including freemarket and cypherpunk viewpoints.

I have to agree.  When I first moved to Austin Texas, the rates for
cable were not too bad, we were in an area that had a choice between
two cable companies.  After a couple years, a third company, a wireless
company came into town.  I then moved to Plano Texas, outside of
Dallas, and was absolutely SHOCKED at the cable prices.  Of course, in
Plano, there was ONE cable company, and all the channels except
broadcast channels were scrambled, so you HAD to get the cable box.  In
Austin, I could use the VCR tuner.  The only scrambled channels were
the premium channels.  The service in Austin was better and about 2/3
the cost.  I definately feel that competition is a MUST!

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