Like taxes and brussel sprouts, no one likes the cable com- - pany and a bill passed in the state Assembly seeks to solidify that sentiment. On the surface, the proposal, SB 107 or AB 207, seeks to eliminate local monopolies cable service providers hold over Wisconsin's municipalities and turn oversight over to the state government.
Currently, the bill has been referred to the Joint Finance Committee for review after being passed in the Assembly April 24.
However, the issue is not as clear-cut as it might appear on the surface. Critics argue that competition already exists in the form of satellite television and simply introducing a new company into the mix will not necessarily bring down the television bill. Instead they fear it creates unnecessary bureaucracy at the rate of about $500,000 more a year.
However, most students are forbidden from placing satellite dishes on their rented apartments, thus negating this possible competitive advantage.
Either way, it is a topic that has drawn a lot of attention from local government, who ask whether competition will come at the expense of other services. They fear passage means a loss of control over contracting with cable companies, thus eliminating local public access channels and an estimated loss of $31 million in franchise fee revenue.
Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said the office received more than 50 letters from constituents voicing their thoughts on the proposed legislation. This issue is complicated and some have called into question AT&T's recent contributions to Gov. Jim Doyle and many other state legislators on both sides of the aisle. AT&T has also actively lobbied for the passage of the bill in both television and newspaper advertisements.
Doyle has pledged that if the bill that appears on his desk does not have consumer protection in mind, he will veto it. We support that attitude and urge the Senate to pass a bill complicit with his requirement. With amendments for consumer protections and public access preservation attached, this bill would do more good than harm in the long run and give consumers a choice in cable providers.
