KEYS TO EFFECTIVE REGULATION

There are several keys to effective cable regulation for a local government. Among other things, it can be important for a locality to:

• Draft the cable franchise carefully, recognizing that it is a long-term contract that will affect local infrastructure for a decade or more.?
• Enforce the franchise publicly, and regularly. A community that demands and reviews reports by its operator, that conducts regular reviews to determine whether the operator is actually meeting its obligations, and which takes public enforcement action when the operator fails to comply will tend to receive better service than a community that only acts when subscribers begin to complain.
• Recognize that there are points during the franchise term where a community may have important opportunities to require an operator to bring itself into compliance with its franchise obligations...and may lose rights if it fails to do so.