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<br />The Lieberman -Shays Bills
<br />Alluding to his negative expo.
<br />rlence with deregulation as
<br />attorney general for the state of
<br />Connecticut and stating that It
<br />Is "time ... to bring consumer
<br />protection back to cable TV,'
<br />Lieberman Introduced the Cable
<br />Consumer Protection Act of
<br />1989 (6.905), a bill which would
<br />repeal the rate deregulation pro-
<br />visions of the Cable Act, on May
<br />3. Shays introduced companion
<br />legislation In the House on the
<br />same day.
<br />Sen. Christopher Dodd
<br />(D.COnn.) Is a cosponsor of the
<br />Lieberman bill. Cosponsors of
<br />the House companion measure
<br />Include Reps. Thomas Downey
<br />(D-N.Y.), Richard Neal (D- Mass.),
<br />Frank Pallone (D.N.Y.), Charles
<br />Wilson (D.Tex.), Major Owens
<br />(D.N.V.), Robert Mrazek (D.N.Y.)
<br />and Martin Lancaster (D- N.C.).
<br />The Lieberman-Shays bill
<br />would terminate section 623 of
<br />the Cable Act slx months after
<br />enactment of his bill. (Section
<br />623 limits state and local
<br />authority over cable rates ) S 905
<br />would also allow states and
<br />cities to require a reduction or
<br />change In cable rates after ser-
<br />vices are added or dropped as
<br />long as 60 days nonce and a
<br />public hearing are provided. It
<br />would allow franchising authorl.
<br />tles to deny the renewal of a
<br />franchise or a transfer of system
<br />ownership because of the cable
<br />operator's "extensive media
<br />ownership."
<br />Additionally, 5.905 would
<br />allow for state or local regula-
<br />tion of cable systems as a com-
<br />mon carrier or utility. It would
<br />require cable systems to carry
<br />local broadcast stations on the
<br />basic service der In order to
<br />lake advantage of the compul-
<br />sory copyright license. The
<br />channel number assigned to a
<br />broadcast station would be the
<br />channel on which the broad-
<br />caster was carried on July 19,
<br />1985, a number assigned by the
<br />FCC; or a number of the broad.
<br />caster's choosing.
<br />Action Steps
<br />City officials who are Inter-
<br />ested In seeing congressional
<br />action on these bills should con-
<br />tact members of their congres-
<br />sional delegation and ask them
<br />to cosponsor these bills. (All
<br />three bilis generally reflect
<br />NLC's recently - adopted com-
<br />munications policy.)
<br />In the Senate, S. 833 and S.
<br />905 have been referred to the
<br />Commerce, Science and Trans-
<br />portation Committee. City offi-
<br />cials should write to the chair of
<br />the communications subcom-
<br />mittee —Sen. Daniel Inouye
<br />(0.Hawali) —and the chair of the
<br />full committee —Sen. Ernest
<br />Hollings (D.S.C.) —and ask them
<br />to schedule hearings and action
<br />on S. 833 and S.905.
<br />S. 834 has been referred to
<br />the Senate Judiciary Committee.
<br />City officials should write to the
<br />chair of the subcommittee-
<br />Metzenbaum—and the chair of
<br />the full committee —Sen.
<br />Joseph Blden (0.-Del.)—and ask
<br />them to schedule action on S.834
<br />(a hearing was held on April 12).
<br />In the House, H.R. 2222 has
<br />been referred to the House
<br />Energy and Commerce Commit-
<br />tee for action. City officials
<br />should write the chair of the
<br />subcommittee on telecommunl
<br />-
<br />cations and Ilnance —Rep.
<br />Edward Markey (0-Mass.) —and
<br />the chair of the full Energy and
<br />Commerce committee —Rep.
<br />John Dingell (D.MIch.)—and ask
<br />them to schedule hearings and a
<br />markup of cable legislation.
<br />Copies of these bills can be
<br />obtained by calling Leslie
<br />Wbllack In NLC's Office of Fed-
<br />eral Relations at (202) 626 -3020.
<br />Urge members of your
<br />Congressional delega'
<br />Non to cosponsor the
<br />following bills, with
<br />copies to the sponsor
<br />of the bill and to the
<br />chair of the appropriate
<br />committees and sub-
<br />committees.
<br />The Cable Television Subscriber
<br />Protection Act o11989
<br />(Metzenbaum)
<br />This bill would authorize the
<br />regulation of basic service rates
<br />unless 30 percent of multi-
<br />channel customers In the com-
<br />munity subscribe to service
<br />from another cable system or an
<br />alternative technology.
<br />Senate:
<br />BIII number: 5.833; Sponsors:
<br />Metzenbaum and Lieberman;
<br />Committee: Senate Committee
<br />on Commerce, Science and
<br />Transportation
<br />House:
<br />No bill
<br />Competition In Cable Television
<br />Act of 1989 ( Metzenbaum)
<br />This bill would:
<br />(1) limit the percentage of
<br />subscribers which can be
<br />served by a single entity and
<br />related entities to 25 percent of
<br />the nation's cable subscribers;
<br />and
<br />(2) require that programming
<br />owned by vertically Integrated
<br />cable companies be made avail.
<br />able to alternative technologies.
<br />Senete:
<br />8111 number: S. 834; Sponsors:
<br />Metzenbaum, Lieberman and
<br />Pressler; Committee: Senate
<br />Committee on the Judiciary
<br />House:
<br />No bill
<br />Cable Consumer Protection Act
<br />of 1989 (Lieberman-Shays)
<br />This bill would:
<br />(1) repeal rate deregulation;
<br />(2) allow for the disapproval of
<br />a transfer or the dental of a
<br />renewal because of concerns
<br />about concentration of media
<br />ownership; and
<br />(3) establish modified must -
<br />carry and channel placement
<br />rules for local broadcast sta-
<br />tions.
<br />Senate:
<br />8111 number: S. 905; Sponsors:
<br />Lieberman and Dodd; Commit-
<br />tee: Senate Committee on Com-
<br />merce, Science and Transporta-
<br />tion
<br />House:
<br />8111 number: H.R. 2222; Spon.
<br />sore; Shays, Downey, Neal,
<br />Pallone, Wilson, Owens, and
<br />Mrazek; Committee: House
<br />Committee on Energy and Com-
<br />merce
<br />How You Can Help!!
<br />Congressional efforts 10 provide for expanded uvula.
<br />tlon of the cable Industry end limit anticompetltive
<br />practices will only succeed 11 you get Involved. Follow-
<br />ing are a list of action steps.
<br />A C T I O N S T E P S
<br />(1) Encourage your city or county council to pass a resolu-
<br />tion In support of legislation to enhance competition In
<br />the video market, provide for the regulation of cable ser-
<br />vice rates, and Impose limitations on concentration of
<br />ownership. Contact Robin Charleston at (312) 324-2310
<br />for a draft resolution.
<br />(2) Send a copy of your resolution and a letter delineating
<br />your community's cable problems to your U.S. Senators
<br />and Representatives, with copies to the chairs of the
<br />appropriate House and Senate Committees (see follow -
<br />Ing box).
<br />(3) Send descriptions of cable problems (e.g., the dropping
<br />of services, channel shifting and rellerin9, customer ser-
<br />vice difficulties, and signal quality) to Robin Charleston,
<br />6900 S. Constance, Chicago, IL 60849.
<br />(4) Send basic service rate histories for your community to
<br />Catharine Rice, National League of Cities, 1301
<br />Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20004.
<br />SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
<br />Joseph R. Olden Jr. (0-Del.) chair
<br />Edward M. Kennedy (D.Mass.)
<br />Howard M. Metzenbaum(D-0hlo)
<br />'Dennis DeConcini (0.Ariz.)
<br />Patrick J. Leahy (0.Vt.)
<br />Howell Heflin (0-Ale.)
<br />'Paul Simon (Dill.)
<br />'Herbert Kohl (0- s.)
<br />'Strom Thurmond (R.S.C.),
<br />ranking minority member
<br />'Orrin 0. Hatch (R-Ulah)
<br />Alan K. Simpson (R.Wyo.)
<br />Charles E. Grassley (R -Iowa)
<br />Arlen Specter (R -Pa.)
<br />Gordon J. Humphrey (R.N.H.)
<br />'member of the subcommittee on antitrust, monopolies and
<br />business rights
<br />SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
<br />SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
<br />•Ernest F. Hollings (0.5.0.) chair— John C. Danforth (R -MO.). "'
<br />'Daniel K. Inouye (D'HawaIO ranking minority member
<br />'Wendell H. Ford (0.Ky.) 'Bob Packwood (R -Ore.)
<br />J. James Exon (0-Neb.) •Larry Pressler (0-5.0.)
<br />'Albert Gore, Jr. (0.Tenn.) 'Ted Stevens (GAlaake)
<br />John D. Rockefeller IV (D.WVa.) Bob Kasten (R.WIs.)
<br />'Lloyd Bentsen (0.Tex.) 'John McCain (R.Ariz)
<br />'John Kerry (D-Mass.) 'Conrad Bums (R- Mont.)
<br />'John B. Breaux (0.1x.) 'Slade Gorton (R-Wash.)
<br />Richard H. Bryan (D•Nev.) Trent Lott (R- Miss.)
<br />Charles S. Robb ID.Va.)
<br />'member of the subcommittee on communications
<br />HOUSE ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE
<br />'John D. Dingell (0.MIch.), chair 'Noonan F. Lent (R-N.V.),
<br />James H. Scheeer (D-N.Y.) ranking minority member
<br />Henry A. Waxman (DCallf.) 'Edward R. Madigan (Rill.)
<br />Philip P. Sharp (D.Ind.) 'Carlos J. Moorhead (RCatlf.)
<br />Jamas J. Florio (D.N.J.) 'Matthew J. Rinaldo (R.N.J.)
<br />'Edward J. Markey (D- Mass.) William E. Dannemeyer (RCalil.)
<br />Thomas A. Luken (0-Ohio) Bob WTltlakar (R-Kan.)
<br />Doug Walgren (D -Pa.) 'Tom Tauke (R.lowa)
<br />'Al Swift (0-Wash.) 'Don Ritter (R.Pa.)
<br />'Mickey Leland (0 -Tex.) *Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R.Ve.)
<br />'Card's, Collins 10.111.) 'Jack Fields (R.Tex.)
<br />'Mike Synar (D- OkIa.) 'Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohlo)
<br />' W.J. "Billy" Tauzln (0-La.) Howard C. Nielson (R -Utah)
<br />'Ron Wyden (D -0re.) Michael Bllirakis (R.FIa.)
<br />'Ralph M. Hall (0.Tex.) *Dan Schaefer (RCoIo.)
<br />•Dennis E. Eckert (D-0hlo) Joe L Barton (R.Tex.)
<br />'BM Richardson (D-N.M.) Sonny Callahan (11-Ala.)
<br />*Jim Slattery (1)-Kan.) J. Alex McMillan (RN.0.)
<br />Gerry Slkoraki (0-Minn.) 'Jim Cooper (0.Tenn.)
<br />'John Bryant (0-Tex.) Terry L Bruce (Pill.)
<br />Jim Bales (0.Callf.) J. Roy Towland (SIGs.)
<br />'Rick Boucher(0.Va.) Thomas J. Manton (D.N.V.)
<br />'member 01 the subcommittee on telecommunications and finance
<br />Any member of Congress can be ,sached by calling The Capitol
<br />switchboard al (202)224-3121.
<br />Members of the Senate can be reached by writing:
<br />Sen. Enamel
<br />U.S. Senate
<br />Washington, DC 20510
<br />Members of the House of Representatives can be reached by
<br />writing:
<br />Rep. Inamel
<br />U.S. House of Representatives
<br />Washington, DC 20515
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