AT & T, cable industry lobbying hard for video franchising bill

We've been talking about the proposed video franchising bill for a few weeks already and recently devoted a segment on Eye on Oshkosh to this proposed legislation and why it is important for cable access viewers to get involved as the lawmakers hear arguments and the legislation takes form.

In this morning's Capital Times, there was an interesting piece on the heavy hand that both AT & T and the Wisconsin cable industry as a whole are playing in this legislation. You can read more about it by going here. You can also get involved in the fight for reasonable amendments to the proposal by visiting www.ocatonline.com.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Energy & Utilities Committee had been expected to vote on the bill this morning as one of the steps the bill must take before making its way to the Legislature and Senate.

UPDATE: The Associated Press is reporting that telecommunications giant AT&T donated tens of thousands of dollars to Wisconsin lawmakers as it pushed a bill that could pave its way into the cable market. This is a bill that, without the proper amendments, could have serious repercussions on the OCAT channels in the Oshkosh area. You can read the latest by going here.