Who regulates the cable companies does the City of Hoover?
The City of Hoover has limited regulatory authority over the cable companies that operate here. Some of that authority comes from federal law. Other authority was stipulated within a “Franchise Agreement” that the City and each cable company entered into. Local government regulatory powers have, generally, diminished since the enactment of the “Cable Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992” by the U.S. Congress. The “Telecommunications Act of 1996” has also placed some limitations on local government regulatory powers, though, less specifically to cable operations. The State of Alabama Public Service Commission does not exercise any regulatory authority over cable companies within Alabama. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has some regulatory authority over cable companies but limits that authority to issues that are national in scope. The FCC, generally, refers inquiries and complaints about local cable issues to local franchising authorities, such as the City of Hoo
