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this deserves repeating !
http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060609:MTFH01729_2....
-US House backs bill to help telcos offer TV service
Thu Jun 8, 2006 11:26pm ET172

By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives handed a victory to AT&T Inc. (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Verizon Communications (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday by approving a bill that would make it easier for them to offer subscription television service.

The House, by a vote of 321 to 101, passed a bill allowing companies like AT&T and Verizon to apply for a nationwide licence to offer TV service instead of negotiating with each city for permission, which they argue could take years.

Lawmakers also turned aside an effort by some Democrats to bar high-speed Internet broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) from seeking payment from content providers like Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and eBay Inc. (EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to guarantee access and service quality.

The bill differs significantly from legislation pending in the Senate. With a short legislative session ahead of the November elections, that could make it difficult for Congress to pass a new law this year.

The phone carriers want to speed their expansion into the lucrative TV business to better compete against cable companies which are rapidly encroaching into the communications business with their own telephone and broadband services.

The current licensing process is "hindering the deployment of advanced broadband networks that will bring increasingly innovative and competitive services," said Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican and an author of the bill.

Already several states have passed laws helping telephone carriers. Verizon has been signing up scores of customers in places like Texas, leading to price wars with cable operators. Continued...
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