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<br />Telecommunications legislation will eliminate local cable franchising authority <br /> <br />Page 1 of3 <br /> <br />Teresa Bender <br /> <br />From: Bach, Jeannette [JBach@LMNC.ORG] <br />Sent: Tuesday, November 08,20055:22 PM <br />To: Clerk Administrators <br />Subject: [clerk-admins] Telecommunications legislation will eliminate local cable franchising authority <br /> <br />Please read the following "Action Alert" directed to you from the League's Intergovernmental Relations staff on <br />this important topic. <br /> <br />Jeannette Bach, Research Manager <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br /> <br />ACTION ALERT! <br /> <br />November 8, 2005 <br /> <br />Immediate Action Needed <br /> <br />TO: City Managers, Administrators, Clerks <br />Telecommunications and General Legislative Listservs <br /> <br />FROM: Ann Higgins, IGR Representative <br /> <br />RE: CALL OR FAX YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO OPPOSE NEW <br />DRAFT HOUSE TELECOM LEGISLATION THAT ELIMINATES <br />LOCAL CABLE FRANCmSING AUmORITY <br /> <br />The League of Minnesota Cities urges you to contact immediately, either by phone or fax, your member <br />of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation to strongly oppose the newly released (November 3) staff <br />discussion draft legislation (II) that rewrites federal cable law. The new draft would eliminate local <br />authority to franchise entry of new competitive cable service providers that offer video programming via <br />"broadband internet transmission" (BIT). Unlike the previous draft discussion bill, this new draft is not <br />the product of a bipartisan effort and breaks faith with cities and local government associations that have <br />been working in cooperation with the leadership of the subcommittee to help fashion the terms of the <br />bill. <br /> <br />Urge your House member of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation to contact colleagues who serve <br />on the U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications & the Internet to voice opposition to the new <br />draft bill, which does not yet have a file number. We have attached a list of major objections on the next <br />page. Urge your Congressman also to contact both Representatives Upton and Barton, who are the <br />senior members of the subcommittee, to indicate personal concern and objections to the provisions in <br />the bill that are harmful to cities. <br /> <br />Immediate action is very important. This draft legislation is on a very fast track. The House <br />Subcommittee on Telecommunications & the Internet is holding a hearing on the bill tomorrow - <br /> <br />11/9/2005 <br />