Cable TV subscribers have complained for years that their bills are too high and their service is lousy. Unhappy consumers faced with this situation in any other service would choose the obvious solution: Pull the plug and sign up with a competitor. But that has been easier said than done when it comes to cable TV.
Most municipalities have been stuck with the cable TV deals they originally negotiated decades ago. Cable providers got a monopoly to provide service in exchange for agreeing to wire the whole community.
As a result, cable TV competition has been scarce in Illinois and that has left unhappy consumers with few options. They can quit cable and retreat to rabbit ears or antennas. But that means giving up 24/7 news and sports and “The Sopranos.” Or they can go the dish route and sign up for satellite TV, which is problematic in some geographic locations. But they have not had the option to sign up with another cable TV provider.
That may be about to change. Consumers soon could get a real choice when it comes to cable TV. Telephone companies are eager to compete directly with Comcast and the other cable TV providers operating in this state once legislators work out the details in Springfield.
A bill being negotiated would establish uniform statewide standards for companies providing video services. That would mean newcomers to the cable TV field — AT&T, Verizon and whoever else might want to enter the Illinois market down the road — would not have to negotiate franchise terms separately with each municipality. Cable TV companies also would be subject to the statewide standards once their local franchise agreements expire.
You may have seen TV ads in this battle between the cable giants and the phone giants, though it’s hard to tell from the ads what’s really going on in the negotiations.
We’ll reserve final judgment until the negotiations produce a new version of the bill — that could come within a week. But it will be a good deal if it creates head-to-head competition in cable. Done right, it can give consumers real choices. Other states that have adopted uniform statewide rules have seen lower cable TV prices and a faster rollout of high-speed broadband service from their cable providers.
Not everyone is thrilled at the negotiations. Comcast has enjoyed limited competition. It wouldn’t be unhappy if the newcomers — the AT&Ts and Verizons — were forced to laboriously negotiate town by town, like the cable industry did when cable was new. But that would increase the cost and delay the arrival of new service. Some local governments aren’t happy about the negotiations either. They will lose some of their power. There is also concern that public access channels — your Zoning Board of Appeals on TV! — will disappear.
Important issues are still to be resolved as negotiations continue on this bill. How will customer service problems be resolved? How will the public access channels be protected?
These are problems that can be resolved. Legislators will be doing TV consumers in Illinois a huge service if they can peer through the thicket of lobbyists on this legislation and create fair competition.
