Cable competition would lower costs

To the editor:

The issue of opening the cable-TV market to fair competition in Missouri is interesting. The longer the cable industry can delay competition, the better off it will be. So who is standing up for the consumer? According the Federal Communications Commission, cable rates have risen 86 percent nationwide since 1995. The FCC has also found that consumers would see a 27 percent price decrease when alternatives to cable TV are available to customers. It is estimated that American consumers would save $107 billion over the next five years if all the country's cable-TV markets were competitive. Missouri missed out on a chance to be viewed as a leader, and this lack of action in the legislature will rob our state of valuable investment.

DOYLE W. EAKINS, Whitewater