Can FIOS Break Cable's Stranglehold?
Verizon's high-speed fiber-optic services want to pull the plug on the cable industry, so what's stopping them?
You've probably heard that telephone giant Verizon is rolling out its TV services with plans of running high-speed fiber-optic lines to every home. This should be a welcome change for anyone paying a monthly cable TV bill. Only Verizon has a little problem. Wireline TV services often require licensing at the municipal level, and that means negotiating contracts with many cities and towns where Verizon wants to offer TV service. But Verizon doesn't want to take years haggling with each municipality. It wants statewide franchises to speed things up.
Naturally, some local officials want to maintain the right to demand that Verizon put up money for a much-needed traffic light in exchange for charging people to watch Dancing with the Stars. At least, that's what Verizon claims. And maybe some towns have asked for those things.
Take it from someone who has recently helped to negotiate a municipal license with the county's largest cable TV provider, Comcast: traffic lights and other community expenditures are not the issue here. The entire cable industry needs more competitionand the sooner, the better. Negotiate a cable TV license, and you'll realize the virtual monopoly cable companies enjoy is far worse than most citizens and public officials realize. The cable industry has so many laws and regulations tilted in its favor that it simply isn't a fair playing field.
For a better look at this battle, go to http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...ll_cable/C155/
Verizon's high-speed fiber-optic services want to pull the plug on the cable industry, so what's stopping them?
You've probably heard that telephone giant Verizon is rolling out its TV services with plans of running high-speed fiber-optic lines to every home. This should be a welcome change for anyone paying a monthly cable TV bill. Only Verizon has a little problem. Wireline TV services often require licensing at the municipal level, and that means negotiating contracts with many cities and towns where Verizon wants to offer TV service. But Verizon doesn't want to take years haggling with each municipality. It wants statewide franchises to speed things up.
Naturally, some local officials want to maintain the right to demand that Verizon put up money for a much-needed traffic light in exchange for charging people to watch Dancing with the Stars. At least, that's what Verizon claims. And maybe some towns have asked for those things.
Take it from someone who has recently helped to negotiate a municipal license with the county's largest cable TV provider, Comcast: traffic lights and other community expenditures are not the issue here. The entire cable industry needs more competitionand the sooner, the better. Negotiate a cable TV license, and you'll realize the virtual monopoly cable companies enjoy is far worse than most citizens and public officials realize. The cable industry has so many laws and regulations tilted in its favor that it simply isn't a fair playing field.
For a better look at this battle, go to http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...ll_cable/C155/
