AT&T identified 10 cities it said are trying to slow IPTV rollout...
AT&T identified 10 cities it said are trying to slow IPTV rollout. Of the 10, 8 are in Ill., where AT&T filed several suits against towns it says refused AT&T buildout requests due to its lack of video franchises…
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(CD April 10 p1). AT&T said franchises aren’t necessary, since IPTV isn’t a cable service. “Within the past few months, however, municipalities have begun to organize and implement concerted campaigns to block AT&T from maintaining or acquiring even the physical capacity of moving forward with Project Lightspeed,” said a Tues. AT&T FCC filing. Some municipal govt. groups told members to make AT&T get a franchise as a means of upgrading gear along rights of way, it said. Lodi, Cal., stopped granting permits after AT&T began network upgrades unless it agreed it would need a cable franchise, the firm said. Lodi followed state law mandating like regulation for cable firms, City Attorney Stephen Schwabauer told us: “Why aren’t they willing to compete on the same basis as the cable companies?” He said “AT&T does not want to do that, they want to cherry pick” customers. Walnut Creek, Cal., won’t provide access to rights of way unless AT&T follows cable rules, said the firm. AT&T’s assertion was disputed by Paul Valle-Riestra, senior assistant city attorney in Walnut Creek. “They can complete all of their construction without getting a franchise at any point along the way,” he told us: “We have issued every permit they have asked for.”