CABLE WORKING WITH TEXAS LAWMAKERS TO ADVANCE STATEWIDE BROADCAST OF LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS

Posted on: 03-3-2009 Posted in: Press Releases - TCA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2009
CONTACT:
Christine DeLoma, (512) 474-2082, or cdeloma@txcable.com

CABLE WORKING WITH TEXAS LAWMAKERS TO ADVANCE

STATEWIDE BROADCAST OF LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS

AUSTIN – The Texas Cable Association (TCA) and its members are ready to work with the Texas House to televise its floor proceedings to Texans outside of Austin, testified Todd Baxter, TCA general counsel and vice president, at the Texas House Administration Committee on Tuesday.

“We appreciate your desire for more transparency and your goal of providing a greater understanding of the process for your constituents,” Baxter said. For more than a decade, Time Warner customers in Austin have been able to watch Texas House and Senate floor proceedings on the City of Austin’s public access channels. In addition, the cable industry’s early and aggressive deployment of high-speed Internet has brought both legislative floor and committee hearings to Texans’ computers across the state. Baxter told the committee that TCA members will partner with the Texas House by providing capacity, where available, for this programming at no charge to the State.

TCA has provided to the House Administration Committee a proposal that would entail the State using an uplink and satellite transponder to make the statewide broadcast possible. “We believe the proposal provides a broad-based and efficient method of making the House broadcast available statewide to all possible video providers,” Baxter testified. TCA’s comprehensive proposal would also include providers such as broadcasters, antenna-only customers, satellite providers, telephone companies, telephone cooperatives and other providers that do not have direct links to the Capitol. TCA members have made more than $10 billion in capital investments in Texas over the last 10 years, without government subsidies, guarantees or incentives.

TCA (www.txcable.com) is the primary trade organization for cable operators in Texas. TCA members include Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Charter, Suddenlink and Cable One. TCA member companies have 3.5 million cable subscribers in more than 1,000 cities and communities across Texas.