L.A. Should Adopt an Open-Access Cable Policy

We’re in the middle of a technology revolution. The Internet’s exponential growth in the past 10 years has changed the way we work, the way we learn and the way we communicate.

Consumers have continued to demand new services as use of this medium grows. The hardware onramps to the information highway have changed as well. Just a few years ago, households had only one way to get onto the Internet: a regular, analog telephone line and a 28.8K modem.

Now, consumers have more choices. We’ve seen countless newspaper ads for companies offering high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet service over phone lines. Our mailboxes are stuffed with postcards from cable companies offering Internet access. And with the proliferation of wireless service and personal digital assistants, we’re able to access the Internet without phone lines or cables at all.

Each of these new technologies--DSL, cable and wireless--allows us to receive high-speed Internet service known as broadband. Consumers have a choice of broadband platforms and have always been able to choose Internet providers. This freedom of choice is one aspect of technology that shouldn’t be lost.

That’s why I am recommending that the city of Los Angeles institute a policy of open access for all cable companies providing broadband Internet service.

Under my proposal, cable companies would be allowed to implement an open-access policy voluntarily, with full compliance required by January 2002. Some cable companies, including AT&T;, have already indicated their willingness to open up their cable platforms to other Internet service providers. Time Warner Inc. and partner-to-be America Online Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding in February in which they too agreed to adopt a policy of open access as they offer broadband Internet technology to consumers.

These are positive steps. But to insure that all cable companies provide the highest level of service to consumers and play by the same set of rules, it is necessary to include specific open-access requirements for cable companies.

Each cable company doing business in Los Angeles operates in one of 13 zones known as franchise areas. To have the privilege of providing cable service in the city, cable companies must agree to a set of guiding principles including customer service standards.

These rules have long been in place with respect to cable television service. As technology changes and the cable companies begin to offer more services, including broadband Internet access, we must update these agreements to protect consumers. The residents of Los Angeles deserve nothing less.

The open-access policy I am proposing includes these major components:

* Universal access to eliminate redlining. It is essential that cable companies build modern platforms uniformly throughout the city, both within the territory they serve and between the 13 franchise areas so there is no cable Internet redlining.

* Rapid deployment. Cable companies must build out their cable Internet service as rapidly as possible, providing quarterly reports on the progress of construction and restoring area streets after the cable laying is completed.

* Wiring of schools, libraries and hospitals. The cable industry is privileged to do business in the second-largest market in the United States. It only follows that it should also provide Internet service free to all public schools, libraries and public or nonprofit hospitals.

The Internet, no matter how you access it, is here to stay. With an open-access policy in Los Angeles, we’ll make sure that consumers are protected, that the cable companies are held accountable and that those who don’t currently have Internet access will be better able to utilize this powerful tool.

An open access policy will allow the city, its residents, cable companies and Internet service providers to be partners as we all enjoy the benefits of new technologies.