Cable Companies Win Open-Access Lawsuit

AT&T; Corp. and other cable-television companies scored a victory in Florida, where a federal judge ruled that requirements to open cable lines to rival Internet service providers are unconstitutional. Such requirements, known as open access, violate 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech and the press because cable companies distribute information, Judge Donald Middlebrooks of the U.S. District Court in Miami said. An ordinance in Broward County, Fla., had required the cable companies to provide access to any Internet service provider that requested it. The companies sued the county to overturn the ordinance. The issue of open access has become contentious because cable companies offer one of the fastest connections to the Internet. Consumer groups and Internet service providers have urged regulators to force cable companies to give consumers choice so prices will remain low. Cable companies have said the market should shape any decisions.