By Ron Thaniel
March 20, 2006

In a letter to their U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate delegation March 13, the League of California Cities stated “The continued involvement of local government in any new federal or state regulatory scheme by way of locally negotiated agreements is an essential component of telecommunications regulations that best serves the needs of consumers, and is consistent with the goal of providing consumers greater choice in telecommunications options.”

The letter endorsed by more than 150 California cities and mayors, including Conference of Mayors President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill, urges that the following principles be considered as part of a telecommunications rewrite:

Preserve Valuable City Services

Protect the authority of local governments to collect revenues from telecommunications providers and ensure that any future changes are revenue neutral for local entities.

Ensure Service Availability to All Consumers

Address a reasonable timeframe for deployment of telecommunications services by providers that includes a clear plan for sequencing of the build-out of facilities within an entire franchise area.

Maintain The Key Elements In Local Franchise Agreements

Municipalities must be able to continue to ensure the provision of key services, including education and government (PEG) channels, as well as make sure that local emergency alerts and institutional networks (INET) meet specific local needs.

Preserve Local Government’s Management of Public Rights-Of-Way

Local governments are important and proven stewards of the public rights-of-way, and are pivotal in helping to prevent public safety issues resulting from overcrowding and improper use; ensuring local emergency (911) services are provided; as well as addressing customer service and local business concerns.

Preserve Local Authority To Deploy and Operate Municipal Broadband Networks

Allow local governments to meet their community’s needs to broadband telecommunications by preserving their authority to develop and operate municipal broadband networks, either through public-private partnerships or systems wholly owned by the municipality.