Cable Telecommunications Act, Day 1 Part 2

James Mooney, President & CEO, National Cable Television Association, talked about the factors that caused rate increases. He talked about operators that over charged consumers, emphasizing that they were isolated cases and not indicative of the industry. He spoke on the definitions of competition and a monopoly and the role of the definitions in regulatory agencies.

John Malone, President & CEO, TCI, talked about the viability of federal regulations, specifically those that limited the number of franchises and markets a cable company can have a monopoly in. He talked about the aggressiveness of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He also talked about the negotiations that occurred with NBC over the creation of a 24-hour news station.

James Robbins, President, COX Communication, talked about the use of competition as a vehicle for increasing the quality of programming.

All of the panelists responded to questions from the Senators. close