All cable franchise agreements would immediately become null and void.  The bill provides for payment of very limited franchise fees likely far less than the $7.5 million per year that Indianapolis currently receives. Only four public, education and government access (PEG) TV channels would be permitted and there is no provision for funding them.  Similarly, the provision of in-kind services such as complimentary fiber connectivity and cable for municipal buildings and schools can no longer be required.  It gives corporations the ability to effectively veto municipal development of low-cost broadband internet services, and cellular phone companies are expected to claim that their towers are exempt from local zoning. 

The Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT) is one of the many organizations opposed to the bill.  ?IACT and Indiana municipal officials are opposed to the Ensign bill because it would eliminate existing franchise agreements and preempt local control. It would also designate the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] to arbitrate disputes, causing local governments to incur huge costs to travel for dispute resolution,? explains Andrea Johnson, deputy director of the IACT. Ms. Johnson continues, ?We are also concerned that the bill eliminates all rate regulation, which could result in higher rates in rural communities where there is little competition. The Ensign bill would also limit local government's ability to provide broadband internet service, a vital component of a city or town's economic development program. In Indiana, many municipalities have implemented their own broadband networks, many times after private providers have refused to offer competitive service or any service at all. If the Ensign bill were current law, thousands of Hoosier citizens and businesses would be without high speed internet service and the economic and social advantages it provides.?

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Andrea Price is president of the board of Public Access of Indianapolis and is passionate about the role that media plays in democracy.