Comcast Turns Back on First Responders
Comcast Communications, the nation's largest cable company, has
decided that it will severely restrict the complimentary cable service
it now provides to police and fire stations throughout Michigan.
Comcast's cable network in that state is the seventh-largest
free-standing cable system in the country, and the move could signal a
major policy initiative for the company.
According to Comcast's recent letter, "state legislators saw fit to
fundamentally alter video service providers' complimentary service
obligations across the state." Apparently, the cable giant was
referencing a new, sweeping state law which essentially deregulated
cable service in Michigan. The new statute allows cable operators to
ignore many of their existing contractual commitments to local
communities, including ongoing obligations to provide cable service to
police and fire stations.
"Comcast really missed the mark on this one," said Larry Stoever,
City Manager for the City of Saline, Michigan. "In a local government
setting, cable service means more than video programming. For example,
local governments can use cable as a distance learning tool so police
and fire personnel can remain on call at their home station rather than
travel to another location for training. It's also a good way to keep
local police and fire stations informed about regional and state-wide
emergencies."
According to Comcast's letter, it will continue to provide service
to one police station and one fire station in each community. But
according to Carl Solden, Supervisor for Waterford Township, Michigan,
"Even many small to mid- size communities have more than one fire
station. Can Comcast really decide that one police or fire station is
more important than any other?"
How can Comcast place first responders so far down its priority
list? "It's the law of unintended consequences," explained Jon
Kreucher, an attorney who practices in communications law. "Some state
legislators thought they would be creating more competition in cable.
That would have been a good thing, but it really hasn't happened. Only
fractional portions of about sixty-five of Michigan's 2,000 communities
have a new competitive choice since the law was passed." Although the
underlying purpose of the law has not yet been fulfilled, Kreucher
noted that the new law "deregulated cable companies right away, before
they ever faced any new competition." Consequently, cable companies are
now ignoring their existing contracts with local governments and cable
rate regulation was eliminated, meaning higher cable prices for
consumers.
"Cable prices keep going up and this new law is beginning to cost
Michigan's residents in ways our state legislators never considered.
It's sad that Comcast is now using the law to target our public
servants," Kreucher concluded.