1983-07-20 Public Hearings and Regular Meeting

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U • Ft. Worth Star Telegram 6/24/83 Cities unite to take on cable industry By JOE BE star -Telegram Writer Led by Fort Worth officials, cities across the nation are organizing a coalition for a final showdown in the U.S. House over who will control cable television. Officials of 21 cities in 16 states and the District of Columbia partici- pated in a telephone conference Thursday afternoon with Fort Worth Assistant City Manager Ruth Ann McKinney to shape the nation- wide lobbying effort. Organizing at the state level is the Texas Coalition for Cable Consumer Interests, which will be financed by contributions from participating cities at the rate of 1 cent per capita population. The aim of the intensified lobby- ing is to overcome a legislative de- feat on June 14 when the Senate passed a bill that creates a national policy for deregulating cable sys- tems. The bill is now in a House committee. The task force representing the cities will seek to amend the House version of the bill to allow more local control of cableTV franchises. After the Thursday conference, McKinney traveled to Washington, D.C., and was to meet with repre- sentatives of other cities to organize the national task force and begin developing legislative strategy. She said the cities are trying to overcome a powerful.cable lobby, which has been "working" Con- gress for the last three years to achieve deregulation. "We are suggesting cities in other states set up some kind of grass- roots organizations (similar to the Texas coalition)," McKinney said. "We are not limiting this to munici- palities. We are seeking to re -inter- est and involve community groups previously active in cable franchis- ing." Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen, rec- ognized as a national leader of the fight against the bill, has spent the week drumming up support from mayors in Texas and in other states. He said the City Council's Cable Television Committee has recom- mended that Fort Worth "continue to protect the interest of Fort Worth citizens" through the lobbying task force. "We have polled what we think is a representative group of Texas cit- ies — some large, some midsize and some small," McKinney said. `Be- cause of the near unanimous re- sponse (to organize for the legisla- tive fight in the House), we will begin contacting all Texas cities next week." The Texas coalition has hired for- mer Dallas City Councilman Sid Stahl, an attorney, to coordinate the lobbying strategy. On the national level, the cities have employed the law firm of Pres- ton, Thorgrimson, Ellis & Holman of Washington, D.C. "The National Cable Television Association simply outlobbied the cities" in the Senate, said Nicholas P. Miller, member of the Washing- ton law firm coordinating the lobby ing for the cities. Bolen has branded the Senate bill as "self-serving legislation" for the cable industry to "get out of con- tracts" negotiated with Fort Worth and cities throughout the country. In response, National Cable Tele- vision Association President Tom Wheeler has called Fort Worth and other cities opposing the Senate bill a few "renegades" wanting to keep the cable industry unfairly shac- kled with local regulations. In addition to overcoming the strong cable industry lobby, the cit- ies also face a time limit. The House Subcommittee on Telecommunica- tions is trying to have a cable bill ready by the end of July, McKinney said.