Action Needed on Cable Rates

[James Love <love@essential.org>]

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TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT - INFORMATION POLICY NOTE
February 18, 1994


     FCC to act on cable television rates

     Consumers need to FAX or EMAIL the FCC to urge action on
     lower rates

     Consumers can respond to the FCC by email, using an email to
     fax service provided free by IMS


     by James Love

     On tuesday, February 22, the FCC may rule on an important
matter concerning cable television rates.  As you may have heard,
when Congress passed the 1992 Cable Act, the FCC was given the
responsiblity for regulating cable televison rates.  This is the
first time since 1984 that cable television franchises, most of
them operating as monopolies, have faced any rate regulation. 
Due largely to the fact that cable companies do not operate as
common carriers, and subscribers purchase both "content" and
"conduit" services together, the FCC has found it difficult to
write rules that the cable companies can't circumvent through
changes in programming offerings.  The FCC wants to order the
cable companies to lower rates from current levels, saving
consumers more than $1 billion per year.

     As you read this, cable companies have been lobbying
Congress and the F.C.C., claiming that any reducting in cable
rates will prevent the cable companies from building the nation's
information superhighway.  (We are not making this up!).

     It is important that you sent a short message to the FCC,
urging them to lower cable rates.  In order to make it easier to
make your views known, the Internet Multicasting Service (IMS),
run by Carl Malamud <carl@radio.com>, is providing a free email
to fax service.  (IMS will send your email message as a fax to
the FCC Commissioners listed below.)

     Here is who should receive messages:

Chairman Reed Hundt
Telephone:  +1 (202) 632-6600
Facsimile:  +1 (202) 632-0163
Email: 
     remote-printer.Chairman_Hundt@12026320163.iddd.tpc.int

Commissioner James Quello
Telephone:   +1  (202) 632-7557
Facsimile:   +1  (202) 632-7173
Email:
     remote-printer.Commissioner_Quello@12026327173.iddd.tpc.int

Commissioner Andrew Barrett
Telephone:   +1  (202) 632-7116
Facsimile:   +1  (202) 632-5168
Email: 
     remote-printer.Commissioner_Barrett@12026325168.iddd.tpc.int

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