Should telcos offering IPTV be required to get franchises to offer video services?
EC: I think the point there is that you have to have a fair set of rules for everybody offering video services, and exactly what those rules ought to be I think is open to question. By the way, we have COMPTEL members who are video providers who have managed to comply with these onerous franchise requirements that the Bells are all whining about, and they did it with a lot fewer people than the Bells have. Certainly from our members who provide video services, from their point of view, they dont see what the fuss is about. They were able to get their licenses in a relatively short period of time without a tremendous expenditure of resources. XC: What are your thoughts on FCC Commissioner Martins embrace of a la carte programming and what will it mean to your sector of the industry? EC: We have relatively few members that are actually doing video programming. I think to the extent that it makes video programming more accessible for those who want to offer it, its a good thing. On the ot
