1984-03-14 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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r ,~ ~C~t~e~ F®~ Rey ®nsile C~b~e ~®~ic p ~ (A Division of the Texas Municipal League) 1020 Southwest Tower • Austin, Texas 78701 • (512) 478-6601 February 22, 1984 MEMORANDUM T0: Selected Texas Cities FROM: Steering Committee, Cities For Responsible Cable Policy SUBJECT: Request For Financial Assistance From Your City The purposes of this memo are two-fold: to thank you for the financial support your city has already provided to Cities For Responsible Cable Policy, and to request additional help from you. As you are aware, Cities For Responsible Cable is a coalition of Texas cities (see attached list) that was formed in mid-1983. Our goal is to thwart the passage of federal legislation designed to preempt t}~e authority of cities to regulate cable TV rates and services at the local level. • The coalition's efforts have focused on two particularly detrimental bills pend- ing in Congress--S. 66 and H.R. 4103. If either of these bills were enacted into law, municipal regulation of CATV would be almost totally eliminated. The city co~incil would no longer have the power to regulate basic service rates. Also, any company providing service in a community would have a virtually abso- lute right to have its franchise renewed whether or not such renewal was in the public interest. Moreover, cable operators would have the right, existing fran- chise provisions notwithstanding, fo delete service offerings without the city's approval. During the seven months since its formation, Cities For Responsible Cable Policy has been successful on a number of fronts. First, we have been instrumental in keeping S. 66 and H.R. 4103 stalled in House committee in Congress. fJithout the coalition's active opposit.ton, it is likely that the legislation would have already passed. Secondly, the coalition has played a key part in organizing nationwide opposi- tion to S. 66 and H~.R. 4103. Prior to the formation of Cities For Responsible Cable Policy, interest in the cable issue was, because of lack of information, limited. Now, however, hundreds of cities across the country have joined in the battle . And finally, our coalition was successful in getting the National League of Cities to reverse its position on this issue. Previously, NLC had supported legislation that would have diluted the cities' CATV regulatory powers. Now, • in response to pressure brought by t}ie coalition, NLC is supporting our goal of preserving the cities' basic regulatory powers. ~~ :