The California Observer: Hiltzik on cable regulations

Shane Goldmacher is a former reporter for Capitol Weekly. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he served as editor of the Berkeley Political Review.

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1A: 76.9-23.1
1B: 61.3-38.7
1C: 57.4-42.6
1D: 56.6-43.4
1E: 64-36
83: 70.6-29.4
84: 53.7-46.3
85: 45.9-54.1
86: 48-52
87: 45.2-54.8
88: 23-77
89: 25.5-74.5
90: 47.6-52.4

U.S. Sen.
Feinstein 59.7
Mountjoy 34.9
Gov.
Schwarzenegger 55.8
Angelides 39.2
Lt. Gov
Garamendi 49.5
McClintock 44.9
Atty. Gen.
Brown 56.7
Poochigian 37.9
Sec. of state
Bowen 48.5
McPherson 44.7
Treasurer
Lockyer 54.8
Parrish 37
Controller
Chiang 50.9
Strickland 40.1
Insur. Comm.
Poizner 50.7
Bustamante 38.9

For complete election results click here.

Gov.
Angelides 48.2
Westly 43.1
Lt. Gov
Garamendi 42.9
Speier 39.3
Figueroa 17.8
Atty. Gen.
Brown 63.2
Delgadillo 36.8
Sec. of state
Bowen 61.1
Ortiz 38.9
Treasurer
Parrish 56.4
Richman 43.6
Controller
Democratic primary
Chiang 53.4
Dunn 46.6
Republican primary
Strickland 40.9
Maldonado 36.9
Insur. Comm.
Bustamante 70.5
Kraft 29.5
Supt. of Schools
O'Connell 52.5, avoids run-off

For complete election results click here.

73: 47.4-52.6
74: 45-55
75: 46.6-53.4
76: 38-62
77: 40.5-59.5
78: 41.5-58.5
79: 38.9-61.1
80: 34.3-65.7

For complete election results click here.

OC Register: Orange Punch

Monday, April 17, 2006

Hiltzik on cable regulations

The Los Angeles Times' Michael Hiltzik has a column today about the cable access bill moving through the Legislature.

I have a simple rule of thumb for determining whether my cable TV service is overpriced: Is it a monopoly? Then it's overpriced.

And let's face it: Virtually every cable TV operation in the country is a monopoly.

In principle, therefore, we should welcome the efforts of the phone companies Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. to offer cable-style video services to the home in competition with the Comcasts and Time Warner Cables of the world. The record shows that when a genuine rival enters a cable TV market, subscription rates plummet. (Satellite TV doesn't have as marked an effect, because dish TV has its own inadequacies and can't provide broadband Internet service as conveniently as cable or DSL.)

But the question raised by a bill in the state Assembly is whether it's necessary to wipe out all local regulation of cable services in order to achieve the nirvana of video competition. AB 2987, sponsored by Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys), chairman of the Utilities and Commerce Committee, would do just that.

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