Access Media- [PEG] Public, Educational, Government Stations are the backbone of the non-commercial media. [PEG] Is the bandwidth available to civics, schools, organizations and open to individuals: and belongs to us for a constitutional reason: Citizens must have access to free speech and can not be expected to afford to pay commercial media rates to do so. As owners of the public bandwidth, our tenants are the 5 merging corporate media cultures and they are mandated to provide the public a medium of access. Thankfully, the corporate culture in Iowa is based on ethics and encouraging support. At PATV we exercise our media and we wish to support Iowans on a quest to access their bandwidth. We are glad you've arrived. Welcome to the IOWAlliance for Community Media

Easier than eating an ice cream! Ten years Telcoms have been able to enter the market. Through its proposed legislation, Qwest is scheming to slip into the backdoor of the current local cable franchise system by obtaining a statewide franchise agreement. This legislation would strip local municipalities of their ability to protect cable customers. Time after time rate research shows that regulation is the only true answer to excessive pricing. Now if they wanted to pass a law in a quick rustle of papers that gave me ala-carte basic service packages or kept the 5 tenents of net-neutrality; Id' be thanking my lawmakers.

The current system’s competitive environment involves 5 ethical mandates of net-neutrality and is not attractive enough to Qwest. Instead of making a commitment to Iowa’s communities a decade ago, Qwest would now rather strike a deal with the Iowa State Utilities Board to pick and choose their customers, rather than allowing local residents to pick and choose their provider. Bandwidth is big, folks. And it is OURS! Do not be silent with your duty to participate in your government or your democratic bandwidth of public speech will go silent in your wake. We are a paticipatory e-mail away from domestic tranquility: let yours be the one to make freedom ring in Iowa and across the nation that we expect more from our telecommunications dollar.

Qwest wants to alter the rules inherent with offering cable service in the state of Iowa and create a new competitive landscape so that it’s easier for Qwest – and Qwest only – to benefit. If Qwest succeeds, those who stand to lose the most are local municipalities, and most importantly, Iowa’s cable customers. This unnecessary legislation is a solution in search of a problem.

Iowa SENATE BILL 554 IS BAD FOR CONSUMERS, BAD FOR MUNICIPALITIES AND OPPOSITE THE NECESSARY CHANGE WE NEED The proponents of Fast-Track telcom SF 554 say they are meant to increase competition among video providers while ensuring consumer protection and customer service. In fact, they would achieve none of these goals. Instead, they would enable discriminatory deployment, eliminate consumer protections, and strip Iowa municipalities of their important role in the local video franchise process.

1. Legislation to create a statewide cable television franchise is unnecessary.

New law is not needed to create cable competition in Iowa. Federal law prohibits exclusive franchise agreements. Municipalities cannot exclude qualified competitors from providing service. Today, under current law, more than 300 Iowa municipalities may access their constitutional bandwidth franchise to exercise free speech. Telcoms now operating in Iowa co-exist in localities like North Liberty and West Branch.

2. Local franchising is not a barrier to competition.

Competitors to incumbent cable like MediaCom and a number of small telephone companies live by the existing rules, have local franchise agreements in municipalities, and abide by the requirement under federal law to offer service to everyone. For their part, the Bells get franchise applications approved quickly wherever they apply for them – many in less than 90 days. The truth is that no one is standing in the way of the phone companies getting into the video market other than the phone companies. They need no new legislation – and particularly not any that will enable them to bypass most communities and trample local authorities. Qwest knows that there is no regulatory barrier to providing competitive cable service; they should answer letters form Mayor Ross Wilburn of Iowa City and Mayor Hurley of Waterloo who on the annum invite ALL Telcoms to offer competition to their localities.

3. Local franchising protects local interests.

Local franchise agreements protect local communities by ensuring that the latest broadband and video technologies are made available to all residents; by ensuring that franchises are not one-size-fits-all and that municipal leaders are able to negotiate for cable services that meet their community’s needs; and by ensuring that public safety and rights of way issues are resolved with local leaders.

4. Statewide franchising proposals do not ensure that all Iowans have the benefit of added competition.

Qwest’s plan for competitive cable service shows a preference for serving affluent communities. Their plan excludes most Iowans, especially those who live in our urban and rural areas. The Legislature has an obligation to ensure equal access, and not allow Qwest to provide fiber to the prosperous only. If the phone company wants special legislation allowing them to offer service throughout their territory, they must be required to offer service to everyone in their territory in a reasonable timeframe, as incumbent and competitive cable operators are regulated to do this for the public convenience and necessity today.

5. Loopholes Undermine Deployment to all Iowans.

The bill purports to “promote and facilitate the deployment of advanced technologies and new services to all classes of communities” but a closer look reveals that there is no requirement to provide service to all of the municipalities where the statewide franchise holder has facilities and no requirement that they serve the entirety of any municipality. CherryPick the RedLine. Further, the bill explicitly prohibits municipalities from requiring that statewide franchise holders provide service anywhere but in their “service area footprint,” which is undefined in the bill and determined solely by the statewide franchise holder. Even within their “service area footprint,” statewide franchise holders have no requirement to build out in a long list of circumstances, including “cost, low household density, distance and technological or commercial impracticability limitations.” It is rarely economical to build to the poorest or most remote areas of a community. Residents of those areas will more than likely be deprived of any benefits that might [Latest Surveys show DOES NOT] come from added competition. You want reasonable rates? Join the IowAlliance for Community Media and together we will put a squeeze on a corrupted investigative news ethic of the commecial media begining here an now with SF 554.

6. Consumer Protections Stripped.
	The bill requires franchise holders to comply with federal customer service standards only until there are two or more cable operators in the municipality.

There are many ways you can get involved and stop Qwest from stepping on your town. You can write a letter to your legislator asking him or her to oppose this legislation, or call them to express your opinion. You could also write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, expressing how you feel. Additionally, to invite someone from the coalition to speak at your organization or community event, contact and join us.

IowAlliance@iciaus.com

You reach us mid-April 2007: an adverse moment in Communicative history. Legislation aimed directly at destroying Public Access Media intends to stomp all over our towns. With two critical weeks remaining in the Iowa General Assembly Calender SF-554: a Telcom Lobbyist bill launched in the IA. Senate under cloak of media whisper as Lobbyists feed processed federal lawmaking to lawmakers of 33 states. Ask your Senators where the consumer protection, net-neutrality, and guarantees of lower pricing are in NeoTel 554 -there aren't any. This bill calls for a single State-Franchise [issued in 90 minutes] by the Iowa Utilities Board: Over-ruling an equitable local situation by launching an array of torpedos upon the rights of each locality, every non-commercial public access bandwidth operation in the state, and every community producer's franchise to access their bandwidth. Elected Representative's that believe MediaCom is too big and powerful to compete with the BabyBells ought to know that I have a series of bridges for sale along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers: too bad they won't be able to afford anything if this bill becomes law.

Thank you

IowAlliance@iciaus.com
	There are no fees to join the Iowa Alliance for Community Media beyond the bravery it takes to be willing to be counted among those who still believe the bandwidth constitutionally belongs to the people.