SCN: To all residents of Earth -- Talk back to your TV!!

[Doug Schuler]

Time is short!  Please forward this note ASAP.  

Let's get a good showing on this...

-- Doug Schuler, 
   Public Sphere Project 
   Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

-------------------------------------------------------------

To all residents of Earth;

TWO CABLE FRANCHISE HEARINGS TUESDAY, JUNE 11
(King County and City of Seattle, Washington State)

1. KING COUNTY, 9:30 AM AT THE COUNTY BUILDING (3RD AND 
JAMES), THE LABOR, OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE.

2. CITY OF SEATTLE, 4 PM AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING 
(600 FOURTH AVE), 11TH FLOOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

There will be two hearings on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 to decide the
technological future of Seattle and King County.  The hearings will
consider the request of AT&T and Comcast to merge, creating the largest
cable company in the U.S., and the monopoly provider in Seattle and
King County.

Some might say the deal is done, but your personal efforts can help
change the outcome.  Seattle in particular has asked little of its
telecom franchisees, in comparison to other cities.  But much more is
at stake: the new company will be able to control the provision of
high-speed Internet services in Seattle and King County.  It will be
positioned to move away from open source and public standards to a
proprietary model, the fabled 'Walled Garden.' The innovation, economic
growth, and technological access we've come to rely on could
disappear.

When you come to the hearing, sign up to speak on the issues that
matter most to you.  A selection of pertinent issues follows, but you
can add your own.  If you can't attend the hearing please call, write
or fax your county and/or city council.  Let them know what you think!

+ Ban anticompetitive practices: What good are 150 television channels
if you cannot get your favorite sports events? Not much, if you live in
Philadelphia, where Comcast, the dominant cable company, refuses to
allow competing video distributors, such as the satellite-dish
companies, to carry local sports channels.   In Seattle, AT&T already
blacks out sports events and other programming carried on Canadian
channels.  Local franchise authorities can ban such anticompetitive
practices.

+ Require Open Access: Cable is the dominant Seattle-area provider of
high-speed Internet service.  AT&T - Comcast have prevented Internet
service providers from selling Internet access to the public. After
announcing the merger, they each selected one additional ISP in some
communities to sell Internet access, under terms and conditions that
restrict serious competition with their own monopoly services.  They
lock out "streaming video" from competitors and restrict the ways
consumers can send data out of their residences and businesses, such as
transmitting large amounts of data or video, or networking two
computers at home. As a result, Internet innovation is stifled and free
speech is threatened.   Streaming of government meetings will be
restricted, and citizens will be unable to implement interactive
television.  Seattle's important local ISP industry will be frozen out
of the marketplace, and locally produced profits will be transferred
out of the region.

+ Oppose their "commercial access":  it bears no resemblance to the
open access that was critical to the creation and development of the
Internet.  A ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals says LFAs can
insist on an open access requirement.  King County has required it for
several years.  At a minimum, LFAs should insist on a most-favored city
(county) clause that demands the most open access afforded anyplace
else in the country be given in Seattle/King County.

+ Financial Commitments and Quality of Service.  The acquisition price
Comcast paid for AT&T is high.  The debt load AT&T is carrying is heavy
because of its earlier acquisitions of TCI and MediaOne.  The need to
increase cash flow is severe.  When monopolies like cable are
concerned, this translates into only three ways to make money - raising
prices, cutting capital expenditures, and reducing customer service.
We experienced this with TCI and Viacom; let's not go through that mess
again! Local Franchising Authorities can impose specific build out and
quality of service targets and back them up with penalties.

+ Responsible Management: Comcast's management will be calling the
shots. At the same time, the form of ownership is being changed to
reduce the reporting and oversight of local operations, which will
allow profits to be funneled out of local communities back to corporate
headquarters.  In the post-Enron, -Adelphia, -Global Crossing,
-MCIWorldCom, -Tyco era, this type of ownership without responsibility
and responsibility without ownership is unacceptable.  LFAs can insist
on accountability for finances, imposing reporting requirements and
reinvestment in the community.

+ Full funding for the public, including public access television,
institutional network, and technology access:  LFA's in this region
have historically traded away significant public benefits in exchange
for promises, tiny community investments, and vanity projects.
Meanwhile other communities, such as Tacoma, Portland, and Grant County
have been getting on with the digital revolution, wiring their cities
with public fiber infrastructure, new digital community television
stations, and advanced community technology projects.  Its time for
Seattle, King County, and the other LFAs to demand most-favored city
treatment in terms of public benefits.  It's a small price to pay for
the inconvenience of having the streets torn up and our views degraded
by cable wires.

+ Demand TOTAL PRIVACY; your televisions viewing habits and surfing
locations should be as confidential as your library records or your
video store rentals.  Customers deserve, and must demand 'total
privacy' for every aspect of their use of services.  Demand the LFAs
prohibit data mining, video silhouetting, cross-selling, list sharing,
and every other use of the customers information, or derived from their
use.  Europeans and Canadians have long enjoyed such privacy; its time
we joined the majority of jurisdiction and just say no!  Demand TOTAL
PRIVACY!!


* * * * * * * * * * * * * *  From the Listowner  * * * * * * * * * * * *
.	To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to:
majordomo at scn.org		In the body of the message, type:
unsubscribe scn
==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ====
* * * * * * *     http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/     * * * * * * *