Verizon was back at the State House today after their last attempt to change state laws that determine the cable franchising process here in Massachusetts. Representatives from the company appeared at a public hearing in Room A-1 to support House Bill No. 3765 and Senate Bill No. 1531, An Act Promoting Consumer Choice and Competition in front of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

The standing room only crowd (pictured above) trailed outside the hearing room as many waited to get in. Local officials and community media supporters from across the state came to voice their concerns for the bill.

The legislation attempts to set limits (90 days) on the amount of time that local officials have to negotiate franchise agreements with potential and existing video service providers in cities and towns across Massachusetts.

Verizon claims the current situation takes too long and has prevented them from obtaining licenses to provide their services in a timely fashion. Opponents of the bill argue the 90 day term is not a realistic amount of time for cities and towns to ensure their needs are heard and supported in the franchise agreement process.

For more details, visit Cambridge Community Television (my employer) for an opposing view of the legislation and the Arlington Advocate which details both sides of the debate.

There is much more to write about from the hearing today, but I hope that others will share their news and views from today’s hearing online in the days to come (with links here to follow).

(Photo above from Cambridge Community Television available under a Creative Commons license)

[Update July 24: Masslive.com has a great survey of existing information on the debate, here: 9 Resources for Understanding the Verizon-Supported Changes to MA Laws on Cable TV and Open Media Boston's story is here: Community Cable Access Groups Oppose Verizon Franchise Plan, Tell Mass Reps: "Keep it Local"]