TV & RADIOI

Cable Executives Resist New Regulations: Cable television executives, concerned that they could face government re-regulation, stressed Thursday that their industry is competitive and offers viewers ample choice at reasonable cost. Their testimony came during the first of two days of hearings the Senate Subcommittee on Communications is holding in Washington to examine the effect of the 1984 Cable Telecommunications Act, which largely deregulated the cable industry. “We really are not the bad guys. We’re not out to build an empire,” said John Malone, chairman of Denver-based TeleCommunicaitons Inc., one of the nation’s largest cable television operators. The day before the hearings began, Sen. Jack Danforth (R-Mo.) introduced a bill to regulate the rates of local cable systems that do not face effective competition. The proposed legislation is one of a number of bills introduced this year to re-regulate the cable industry, prompted by complaints from consumers and broadcasters about excessive rates.