Still time to pass telecom legislation

To the editor:

Haven't we had enough? Our elected officials in Jefferson City are at it again, playing politics while hardworking Missourians lose out. This time they are preventing Missouri from getting state-of-the-art technology and preventing effective competition from entering the cable TV market.

I was extremely disappointed to read that state Sen. Jason Crowell has derailed Senate Bill 816, which would give me more choices and allow competitors to provide cable TV service. The key to fostering competition is to make the franchising process more efficient. The status quo is not helping consumers. It's up to our elected leaders to see through these stall tactics. Everyone knows that when the consumer drives the market, the products and services get better.

Missourians want more options for cable TV, so why are some senators preventing a vote to open the cable market? There's still time to pass good public policy that will benefit consumers and bring investment to our state. If we can't count on our own senator to do the right thing, let's hope other legislators will.

MAURICE LANGE, Cape Girardeau