No Open Access To Cable Lines

A federal court rules that local governments cannot force cable companies to open up their Internet lines for competitors. The Los Angeles City Council, led by Councilman Alex Padilla, took a strong early position on the issue and had earlier considered requiring cable companies in Los Angeles to open access to their lines as a condition of being franchised in Los Angeles. That decision is now on hold. Billions of dollars are at stake in the argument, and millions are being spent on lobbying, both at the local and federal levels. Many local cities were trying to protect the rights of small Internet service providers by ensuring open access to the lines of telecom companies like AT&T TCI. The case is likely to go to the Supreme Court.

Thanks to Chris Steins