|
City/County/Town
Letterhead
**Be sure and
send copies as indicated—these are key legislators on this
legislation**
**Send copies to municipal groups as indicated so they can follow
up**
**Fax or email copies promptly**
The Honorable
_____________ [your U.S. Senator] fax 202-_________
Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable _____________ [your other U.S. Senator] fax 202-_________
Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
via mail and facsimile
RE: S. 1504, the Ensign/McCain Broadband Investment and Consumer
Choice Act
Dear Senator ___________and ___________:
Please oppose the Ensign/McCain Broadband Investment and Consumer
Choice Act.
|
Among
other things, in the cable and broadband area this bill will:
Abolish cable franchising, which ensures that the services
cable companies provide meet our local needs, provide needed
protections for us and the public, and allow these provisions
to be changed over time as needs change and technology evolves;
Unlike any other utility service, abolish requirements that
cable service be provided wherever in a community there is
sufficient population density to make service economic. Phone
and electric service are not provided only where the provider
elects to provide service— all areas with sufficient
population density are served. Cable and broadband should
be the same;
Allow cable companies to "redline" and deny service
on the basis of race, sex, senior citizen status. So if a
customer opposes action by their provider, the provider can
deny service, even though the customer has paid the bill on
a time manner;
Reduce (perhaps substantially) the cable franchise fees providers
pay to use public property;
Apparently (we say apparently because the bill is not entirely
clear on these points) grants video providers the right to
use public rights of way in perpetuity, without even the protections
that the courts impose when the government condemns property.
Does not adequately preserve local ability to manage the streets,
such as requiring providers to relocate lines at their expense
when streets are straightened or widened.
Does not have meaningful provisions on channels for public,
educational or governmental use, and lacks provisions in current
law requiring the provider to provide funds to support these
channels.
Does not have provisions to protect safeguard the public if
the provider causes damage to the right-of-way or goes bankrupt.
There are other deficiencies assoc associated with the cable
and broadband portion of the bill. The bill addresses matters
not related to cable or broadband. Some of the provisions
which are particularly objectionable are those that:
Apparently abolish all zoning of cellular towers, so towers
can be put anywhere in a community, without regard to whether
they are needed or their effect on property values. Many
of our residents prefer not to have a cellular tower next
to their home?
Abolish telephone franchises and fees, even though these
companies have and should continue to pay "rent"
to use the public way, which is maintained at great expense
by the Town; and
Attempt to prevent local governments from providing the
public with wireline broadband and wireless broadband communications
services.
|
The City/County/Town supports video competition and believe it is
being adequately addressed through local franchises. The Ensign/McCain
bill does not offer comparable benefits to local governments nor
the public. It ignores local “community needs” which are
addressed through the current cable franchising process. And it's
apparently abolishing of wireless tower zoning, telephone franchises
and utility taxes and saddles restrictions on local government communications
systems for no apparent purpose.
For these reasons,
we ask that you oppose this bill.
Sincerely,___________________________
Mayor/Chairman
cc: The Honorable Ted Stevens fax 202-224-2354
522 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0201
The Honorable Daniel Inouye fax 202-224-6747
722 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1102
The Honorable John McCain fax 202-224-2235
241 Senate Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0303
The Honorable John Ensign fax 202-224-6244
364 Senate Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2805
The Honorable Conrad Burns fax 202-224-8594
187 Senate Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2603
[your U.S. representative] fax 202-__________
_____________________
Washington, D.C. _______
The Honorable Joe Barton fax 202-225-3052
2109 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4306
The Honorable Fred Upton fax 202-225-4968
2161 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-2206
The Honorable John Dingell fax 202-226-0317
2328 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-2215
The Honorable Edward Markey fax 202-226-0092
2108 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2107
The Honorable Charles W. Pickering fax 202-225-5797
229 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2403
Ms. Cheryl Leanza
Principal Legislative Counsel
National League of Cities
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 550
Washington D.C. 20004
Mr. Jeffrey
Arnold
Deputy Legislative Director
National Association of Counties
440 First Street, N.W.
8th Floor
Washington DC 20001
Mr. Ron Thaniel
Assistant Executive Director
U.S. Conference of Mayors
1620 I Street
Fourth Floor
Washington, DC 20006
|
