CoPIRG

Citizen Agenda: An Update For Members Of CoPIRG

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Qwest Defeated In Fight To Overturn Media Laws


	Cable prices are on the rise, and CoPIRG works to ensure that consumers are protected from outrageous prices by standing up for consumer protection laws.

CoPIRG defeated legislation in the General Assembly that would have weakened protections for cable consumers. Backed by telephone giant Qwest, HB-1222 would have taken away the rights of local governments to negotiate video franchise agreements. These agreements contain critical protections for consumers, such as requirements that cable companies serve all residents, and refund consumers for cable outages. Qwest is seeking the legislation as it plans to roll out its new video service to compete with Comcast and other cable providers.

“Cable consumers are fed up with skyrocketing cable and broadband prices and terrible customer service. Qwest’s entry into the cable market to compete with Comcast and others is welcome, but the company doesn’t have to weaken consumer protections to do so,” said CoPIRG’s Rex Wilmouth.

In testimony before the House Transportation and Energy Committee, Wilmouth noted that cable is no longer used just for entertainment, it is also the primary way Americans get news and information, and access the Internet. CoPIRG argued that any state legislation encouraging cable competition should contain rules that ensure:

All Consumers Are Served within a reasonable period of time, so that everyone sees the benefits of cable competition, not just those in the wealthiest neighborhoods.

Public Access Is Protected by commitments from cable providers to carry public, educational and government (PEG) channels. PEG channels broadcast government proceedings such as city council meetings, high school sports games, and religious programming that major media outlets don’t cover.

Standards For Service Are In Place, such as requiring that disputes are resolved in a reasonable period of time, live customer service operators are available, consumers are credited for outages, and prohibitions exist to protect consumers from being locked into long-term contracts with unreasonable cancellation fees.

No Internet Censorship is permitted, by establishing network neutrality rules. These rules would prevent a company such as Qwest and Comcast from blocking certain political speech that the company objects to. Big cable and telecom companies are fighting to permit such Internet discrimination.

The anti-consumer legislation was opposed by the Colorado Municipal League and Consumers Union along with CoPIRG. But Qwest vowed to continue their fight in next year’s legislative session. CoPIRG will work to ensure any cable competition legislation that passes the General Assembly is written to benefit consumers, not big cable and telephone companies.

House Moves To Harness Medicare’s Buying Power
he buying power of Medicare to drive better deals on prescription drugs for millions of Americans.

The bill, adopted by the House in January, would allow the Medicare program to negotiate bulk-purchase discounts for prescription drugs. As this newsletter goes to print, the Senate Finance Committee has taken up the bill. When Congress created the prescription drug benefit in 2003, lawmakers prohibited Medicare from negotiating discounted prices with drug manufacturers, a concession to the pharmaceutical industry.

The House vote is a move to correct that mistake. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act would save money for taxpayers, who pay for nearly 75 percent of the drug program. It would also lower drug costs for seniors in the “doughnut hole” coverage gap, who have to pay thousands of dollars for their medications.

Cutting Excessive Subsidies To Oil And Gas Companies
We applauded the U.S. House of Representatives in January, as lawmakers voted 264 to 163 to pass the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6).

The bill would repeal tax breaks and subsidies for the oil industry and invest more than $14 billion in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“This legislation is good news for consumers and our environment,” said U.S. PIRG’s Kate Johnson. “Our dependence on oil can only mean wrenching price hikes in the years to come. We need to develop alternative fuels and we need to start now.”

Our staff helped write and promote the legislation, which was included in Speaker Pelosi’s “100 hours” agenda.

The fund created by the bill could be used to promote energy efficiency, expand research and development of clean energy technologies, and extend tax credits for clean energy sources.

MEMBER RESOURCE

CoPIRG’s Rex Wilmouth.