Bill Would Allow Telecomm Businesses to Compete with Cable Television
TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., D-Hudson, the sponsor of legislation which would amend the State’s Cable Television Act to allow telecomm companies and public utilities that provide for the transmission of video programming to compete in the television service market in New Jersey, issued the following statement on the bill’s approval today in the Assembly:
“With today’s Assembly action, we are only one step away from successful enactment of a legislative measure which will spur competition, lower television service costs, and create hundreds, if not thousands of jobs for our State’s economy.
“By creating an even playing field for telecomm TV to realistically compete with cable, we will put pressure on all service providers to offer the best possible deal or face the wrath of a free marketplace. Customers will see rate savings of up to 30 or 40 percent off their current cable bill, whether they switch to a new provider or not.
“And we know that for telecomm TV to work, the infrastructure needs to be built to sustain it. Verizon alone has already stated that entering into the television service business will mean an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars on their behalf in the Garden State, and the addition of hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs to our State’s workforce.
“As telecomm TV begins to gain a foothold in New Jersey, I predict it will be embraced as one of the best thing to happen to television since cable first debuted in the United States. A competitive market will mean that providers will work harder to offer the best package at the lowest cost, and consumers will be the ultimate winners.”
The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence with the Assembly counterpart. It was approved in the Senate by a vote of 27-7 on Thursday.