There are times when free-market economics fail. Everyone who
lived in California during the power shortages several years ago
has seen what an unregulated power industry can do to one state.
And it’s happening again, but this time instead of the good ol boys
from Enron pulling the strings, it’s the good ol boys from AT
&
amp;T and Verizon who are threatening to black out what should
be treasured by residents of Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan
Bautista
– public access television.
There are times when free-market economics fail. Everyone who lived in California during the power shortages several years ago has seen what an unregulated power industry can do to one state. And it’s happening again, but this time instead of the good ol boys from Enron pulling the strings, it’s the good ol boys from AT&T and Verizon who are threatening to black out what should be treasured by residents of Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista – public access television.
As Pinnacle reporter Kate Woods reported this week, bills supported by AT&T and Verizon are making their way through both Congress and the state Legislature. The net effect of this convoluted legislation could be to strip Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Baustista of their negotiating power with Charter Communications, the local cable provider.
It’s a complex issue, but here is how one expert explained it to Pinnacle readers:
“Both (the House and Senate bills) would give the Bells new incentives in the form of national franchises with no ‘build-out’ requirements for states or cities to be fully wired,” writes Bruce Kushnick, a telecom analyst who directs Teletruth, an independent customer advocacy group focusing on broadband and telecom issues. “The cable companies currently have local franchises, where the companies have to meet specific requirements for local provisioning, such as local access channels. This new corporate ‘one size fits all’ national franchise is not about customers but about expediency and lack of community services, as the House bill allows the new entrants (that is, the phone companies) not to worry about local, existing obligations.”
If the phone companies, and more recently the cable companies, and their political patrons win, it means the end of CMAP, Suzanne Saint John-Crane believes. Saint John-Crane is the director of CMAP, the public access stations in our region.
If you’re a fan of “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars,” like most Americans, you may miss some of the programming featured on CMAP. But you should still care. Among recent programming included a wonderful concert at Gavilan College called “Bach to Blues,” hosted travelogue discussions of fascinating out-of-the way travel spots and most importantly, broadcasts of local City Council meetings.
Without an engaged populice, this democracy will fail.
With media consolidation running out of control in this country, it’s even more important to have as many differing information outlets as possible. Here’s what happens when our elected officials embrace media consolidation: Since the first version of this legislation in 1996, cable rates have risen by 50 percent and local phone rates went up by more than 20 percent. Local radio stations folded and now Clear Channel alone owns more than 1,200 stations. The group estimates about 10,000 people lost their jobs because of the takeovers.
When fewer media conglomerates own greater numbers of outlets, the diversity of opinion and even what information is disseminated suffers. We urge all readers, whether they are fans of CMAP or not, to contact our elected officials and insist provisions for local public access be made in any legislation retooling telecommunications.
