Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: lars@salt.acc.com (Lars J Poulsen)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: LEC Monopoly and Cable TV
Message-ID: 
Date: 11 Aug 89 18:45:46 GMT
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Organization: Advanced Computer Communications, Santa Barbara, California
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 291, message 6 of 9

In article  nvuxr!deej@bellcore.
bellcore.com (David Lewis) writes:
>there is also the fact that in the majority of this country, both telcos
>and cable companies have exclusive franchises (read: regulated
>monopolies) in either the municipality or state.

Unfortunately, an exclusive cable franchise does not always imply that
the service is regulated. In Santa Barbara, the city and the county
both signed exclusive franchise agreements with Cox Cable. The
agreement gives exclusive rights to Cox, and sets technical standards
for the service while requiring the municipal authority to review
rates. Two years into the agreement, the FCC came out with a ruling
that disallowed the regulatory oversight if the cable system was not in
a monopoly position. The cable company promptly produced a study
showing that the average household can receive 6.2 channels off the
air, and thus there is no monopoly. At this point, the cable company
sets rates without review, and they grant themselves waivers from the
technical standards based on economic viability. Public and government
access channels and the exclusivity of the franchise are about the only
provisions that are upheld.

I do not know of ANYONE here who can receive 6 channels off the air. To
receive anything other than the local ABC affiliate would require a
significant amount of rooftop gear; probably enough that a sattelite
dish would be cheaper. The "local" outlets of the major networks are
as follows (distances very approximate):

	3  - KEYT Santa Barbara ABC - local
	6  - KSBY San Luis Obispo NBC - 60 miles
	12 - KCOY Santa Maria CBS - 45 miles
	28 - KCET Los Angeles PBS - 120 miles
	63 - KADY Oxnard Independent (Riklis) - 40 miles

I would be happy to see the exclusivity clause go; then I could put up a
pair of sattelite dishes and share the signal with my neighbors.

I must admit that I am fairly satisfied with the programming that the
cable company provides (though I'd like to get them to carry NASA
Select during major space missions) but then I don't watch more than
about an hour per month total. It just bugs me that they entered into a
contract which was then turned on its head.

Followups are unlikely to be relevant to be relevant to telecom.
/ Lars Poulsen    (800) 222-7308  or (805) 963-9431 ext 358
  ACC Customer Service              Affiliation stated for identification only
                My employer probably would not agree if he knew what I said !!