Verizon Wins NJ Statewide Franchise → Re: Oh My

I have no problem switching to the best vendor as it suits me.

Perhaps any vendor that's capable of providing service should be allowed to hang their wires from the town poles free of charge. What are we worried about... too many vendors? The last mile and ROW access has always been the problem. Let's just eliminate it once and for all.

Millions of peope watching the local access channel? Really?

Local access is important, as it's one of the only avenue's left for public forums to be broadcast; which is necessary to hold local governments accountable. Weather or not your watching it, if they're not being broadcast, they'll end up corrupt and abusive. It's happened in almost every community I've been a part of.

As for muni's paying for it.. PLEASE, let us pay for it. The savings to tax payers would be astronomical. Not to mention these things really aren't that expensive to setup in a small scale. The most expensive part is the actual wiring it to your house, which could be picked up by individuals. If you told me I had to spend $1000's to get my house wired for a $50/mo triple pay instead of paying $200's a month for the same services for the rest of my life, I would jump for joy. The cost to Muni's for just wiring their town (san's house hookup) should be in the 1/2 mil range. (at least that's what I've experienced.) The annual budget for my town is $66 mil. (just to put it in perspective)

Local towns should set up a web cam and record their town meetings for access through a website.

I'm all for accountability. If the town meetings are accessible through a web site, then who really cares about a dedicated TV channel that's only available through a single vendor?

I agree with you on that one. Unfortunately it will be a few decades before the people who are running these things are comfortable with that. You wouldn't believe the fight that took place just to get a video camera in there. Trying to explain and convince people who are scared of email that it should be broadcast on the web is a ways off. Plus both are pretty much controlled by the same vendor still. That's what we're talking about..

So you have to own a computer to participate in goverment, great concept. Meanwhile for years cable has done this.. Lets turn back history with Verizon.