Telcos Pushing for Statewide Video Franchises

Light Reading has published and article that gives a good summary of the push by ATT and Verizon to get the individual states in the U.S. to institute state wide video franchises that will eliminate the requirement to acquire franchises on a community by community basis. Fifteen of the fifty U.S. states have state wide video franchises today. Massachusetts and Georgia are currently considering statewide franchises.

ATT and Verizon were not successful in getting the U.S. FCC to declare a national franchise. Their backup is to get more statewide franchises. ATT has 12 of its 22 states with statewide franchises, including its two largest states, Texas and California.

Verizon also has a number of states with statewide franchises including New Jersey and Virginia but not New York or Massachusetts.

This will continue to be a slog for these companies