Late last week the Tennessee Legislature overwhelmingly passed the
Competitive Cable and Video Services Act; legislation that opens the
door for increased competition and innovation, including the deployment
of new technologies such as video programming over phone lines. The bill
now moves to the desk of Governor Phil Bredesen who is expected to sign
it into law.
The passage of the legislation comes on the heels of a two-year campaign
to open up the states cable market to increased competition and allow
consumers to benefit through better service and lower prices. For it's
part, FreedomWorks engaged an extensive statewide grassroots effort that
kicked off last year. FreedomWorks members in Tennessee emailed, called,
and visited in-person targeted legislators to educate them on the need
to remove regulatory barriers in the traditional cable-television
marketplace. In addition, FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey visited with
several legislators one-on-one in Nashville to talk to them about the
importance of competition in this critical sector of the economy.
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented, “FreedomWorks
and our thousands of Tennessee members were proud to take part in the
grassroots battle in Tennessee that finally saw this ground-breaking
legislation through. We salute the Tennessee state legislature for its
leadership in giving Tennessee consumers the advantages of increased
competition in the video services market. The Competitive Cable and
Video Services Act will offer cable consumers more choices and more
innovation. And when businesses are forced to compete for customers, the
customers win."
Today’s market is changing rapidly, with
growing competition between phone, wireless, cable, satellite, and other
providers. Governor Bredesen's signature will pave the way for increased
competition and the potential gains for consumers and the economy of
Tennessee. The new bill promotes competition while creating incentives
to invest in the networks that will place Tennessee at the forefront of
the emerging new telecommunications market.
The Tennessee campaign is a part of FreedomWorks’
national “Choose Your Cable”
campaign, an effort in support of broad nationwide telecommunications
reform through an integrated campaign that includes extensive activist
education, targeted grassroots lobbying, and both print and television
advertising.
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