Interview: Fighting AT&T → Re: When all Else Fails......follow the money.........

I think this explains everything

"same franchise agreement as Comcast has to to deliver video content"

Why should they have to sign a franchise agreement? Except to pay the city council their mafia money.

Cable doesnt pay federal fees to provide phone service, they dont have to provide phone service to everyone like the phone companies..Why should phone companies have to sign something when the cable companies dont either?

Why not level the playing field instead of picking on one company?

So what would you suggest? Higher property taxes?

The agreement also covers making sure EVERYONE in the city gets access to service.

Apparently you don't agree with franchise fees in general, but they exist for all cable TV providers. While cities still maintain their ROWs, they should be able to charge for using them and having a say as to what goes into them.

AT&T charges others to use their network, right? I see no difference for the cities to negotiate over their ROW.

Why should a PRIVATELY owned company be FORCED to sell to people? If they dont want to sell to someone then thats their prerogative isnt it?

Of course I dont like redlining and I would be pissed of if I was redlined. However it is their company and they will do as they please, just like you would if it is yours. Your option is to either move to get services you like, or find an alternate provider for your services.

My ideal scenario would be for the Government to take over the lines to the home..have the phone/tv lines as ONE line, and then of course your gas and electric lines. Then force all the telcos and cablecos to change their networks to accomodate to that 1 line and then they all just become service providers. The line itself is regulated or controlled as a utility, and then you have a choice as to which service provider you want...I think this is the only way you would really have a choice in anything.

Who is forcing whom? Last time I checked, AT&T is suing our communities for the right to sell without rules around here. Nobody has a gun to AT&T's head on this.

Yep - it seems that at&t wants to use city property to sell the services, without having to pay for it or have any restrictions on use.

To those who say let at&t do what they will, I don't think you would be singing the same tune if at&t decided to put a big 5x5x5 box in front of your house in the right of way. at&t does not want any city input on where they put the NEW equipment.

These boxes could just as easily go on private property, which would render this argument irrelivent. I am sure they will have no problem finding someong willing to rent them 25square feet.

Agreed - but at&t hasn't been pursuing that route, they have been going after the additional ROW usage though.

Have they?