While in Washington, DC for the National Association of Telecommunications Advisors and Officers Annual Conference, Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel and Orion Cable Commission Administrator Diane Griffiths met with Mike Ward, Senior Legislative Assistant to Congressman Mike Rogers, to discuss pending telecommunications legislation in the Senate and House.
The legislation could impact local municipalities, including Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion.
Technology now makes it possible for phone companies to provide video services over phone lines, but phone companies are not required to negotiate franchises with local governments.
Cable companies are required to sign franchise agreements and pay franchise fees in exchange for using the local rights of way.
Franchise agreements, by federal law, are non-exclusive.
According to Griffiths, The Orion Cable Commission would welcome competition among cable, or cable-like, providers. But phone companies and cable companies should follow the same rules, and local governments should retain their control over the local rights of ways.