[opendtv] Re: Rep. Dingell orders investigation of FCC

Tom Barry wrote:

I suppose it would make sense if Mr. Dingell gets contributions from
the cable industry. Though I don't haven't checked to see if he does.
Of his total contributions the top two are Telecommunications (41%) and Cable (14%) totaling about $550,000, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:13 AM
Subject: [opendtv] Re: Rep. Dingell orders investigation of FCC



Tom Barry wrote:


I suppose it would make sense if Mr. Dingell gets contributions from
the cable industry. Though I don't haven't checked to see if he does.


I wonder if this is what Craig was talking about, when he said:


Are there parallels to this in the U.S.?

Do we have huge conglomerates controlling huge chunks of the economy,
who rely on government regulation to hold onto their power?


That could be. There is another possible explanation, but it seems
amazingly bone-headed.

It could be that John Dingell "knows" that what Kevin Martin really
wants to do is to implement the 70/70 rule, and then force cable
companies to adopt a la carte program subscriptions. And perhaps he
listened to all the lobbyists who warned him that all those niche
channels they care about would drop off the "carte" in a hurry, if each
has to pay its own fare.

I would instead have expected that once the 70/70 rule becomes
implemented, then the politicians have that much more leverage to impose
whatever they want. And that consequently, John Dingell and the
lobbyists would favor that.

Craig must feel awfully conflicted in all of this. Doesn't have much use
for the FCC, and yet his only hope for a la carte comes from the Commish
himself, and no one else.

Bert


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