VENTURA : Council to Consider Hiring Cable Lawyer
The Ventura City Council on Monday will decide whether to join Oxnard and Thousand Oaks in hiring a lawyer to help officials untangle the new federal cable television rates that have caused a big outcry among residents.
Under a plan so far agreed to by officials from Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, a consortium of municipal governments would pay Los Angeles-based attorney Tracy Westen for advice on how best to wield regulatory power over local cable companies.
The council voted last month to apply to the Federal Communications Commission to regulate basic cable television rates in the city. If the city’s application is approved by the FCC, city leaders could receive regulatory authority early next year.
Westen, who specializes in communications law, would be paid $1,150 by each participating city to offer legal advice about what local officials can require of cable companies.
Santa Paula, Fillmore and Port Hueneme have already declined to join the consortium.
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