Telecom law of 1996 Rewrite Breaks Faith With Earlier Version

You can call it a "bait ‘n switch." The draft rewrite of the telecommunications law of 1996 — BITS II — the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill Nov.9 — bore little resemblance to an earlier version — BITS I — which had been negotiated for months by a cadre of state and local government representatives, bi-partisan Hill staffers and telecommunications industry reps.

BITS II is at odds with NACo’s policy on video franchising and could potentially create havoc with local governments’ ability to appropriately manage the local rights-of-way.

The new draft "breaks faith with those deal points" about county officials’ willingness to negotiate a streamlined nationwide franchising process, said Montgomery County, Md. Councilmember Marilyn Praisner in her testimony before U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

"This is an inappropriate federal and private industry intrusion into our streets and sidewalks," she added.

By Jeff Arnold
Jeff Arnold is deputy legislative director for the National Association of Counties (NACo). This story was reprinted with permission from NACo’s County News Online.

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