THE PUBLIC MIND: CONSIDER SOURCE ON CABLE'S OPPOSITION TO PENDING LEGISLATION

Dear Editor:

This week, the House and Senate will be taking final action on one of the most important pieces of consumer legislation in recent memory.

The Cable Television Consumer Protection Act passed both the House and Senate by overwhelming margins earlier this year, and a final version of the legislation now must receive one more approval by both houses of Congress in order to be sent to the President of his signature.

This is a great bill which will control cable rates, increase the competition for cable, and help strengthen the ability of local TV stations, like mine, to serve the public.

But lately, many of you have undoubtedly been hearing from the cable industry that this bill will accomplish none of these things. In fact, in its bill stuffers and on-air ads, cable says this bill will actually raise rates, not lower them. Cable is also telling us that the bill will put millions of dollars into the pockets of the networks at your expense.

Well, friends, when you hear those warnings from the cable people, I ask you to do one simple thing consider the source.

How come cable is all of a sudden so worried about your rates? They haven't been worried a bit about them the last six years, during which rates increased three times the rate of inflation. They haven't worried about the times you waited all day for a cable technician to show up at your house, and then he doesn't come at all.

How can cable say a bill that controls cable rates will raise rates? Well, they took a study they had done themselves which alleges that rates would rise, and gave it to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Commerce bought it hook, line and sinker. Then, in its bill stuffers, cable quotes the source of that information as "The Department of Commerce." Wrong! It's the cable industry quoting its own numbers numbers which have been totally discredited. Consider the source.

And as for the cable claim that the broadcast networks will reap megabucks from this bill, let's look at the facts. Under this bill, local stations will be given the right to control who uses their signals and under the terms and conditions. Right now, cable takes broadcast signals without permission or negotiation, sells them to you at a gigantic profit, then creates competing programming. In essence, we, the local broadcasters, are forced to help our competition.

Any discussions between local stations and cable operations will be local. No networks will be involved. As for any costs being passed on to consumers, cable conveniently forgets that the Department of Justice found that half of all cable rate hikes are due solely to cable's monopoly not to their costs of operations. There is no need for any rate hikes because of this provision in fact, the bill specifically directs the FCC to make sure consumers are not adversely affected by it. Again, when you hear these arguments from the cable industry, consider the source.

This is the last chance we may ever have to see real consumer relief from skyrocketing cable rates, poor customer service, and the creation of real competition for cable which will make regulation unnecessary. Tell Senators Danforth and Bond and Congressman Emerson to vote YES on the cable bill this week. And tell them that when cable asks then to vote no remind them how you, the cable customer, has suffered from poor service, high rates and bad reception.

Sincerely,

Steven B. Engles

Engles Communications, Inc.

KBSI Fox 23