AT&T Inc. is capitalizing on Indiana’s new video franchising rules. The company is the first to file an application with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to roll out its U-verse TV services throughout the state, going head-to-head with cable and satellite companies.
IURC commissioner Larry Landis told the Associated Press that as long as AT&T complies with requirements in the application, approval would be a formality.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels in March signed into law House Bill 1279, which, in part, implements a statewide video franchising process. The ILECs have been lobbying for new regulations throughout the country that they say will give them the same benefits to market entry as the cable companies have had all along. The ILECs say their entry into the video market will provide competition that will bring down prices and offer more choices for consumers. Meanwhile, cablecos have continued to argue that statewide franchising gives telcos an unfair advantage to market entry.
AT&T Inc. www.att.com
IURC www.in.gov/iurc
