The Alliance for Equal Access Applauds the Florida General Assembly's Passage of the Cable Choice Act of 2007

The Alliance for Equal Access Applauds the Florida General Assembly's Passage of the Cable Choice Act of 2007

ATLANTA, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An overwhelming vote in the Florida House of Representatives will lead to the arrival of the "Consumer Choice Act of 2007" on Florida Governor Charlie Crist's desk -- and when signed, the new law will lead to a streamlined video franchise process and offer consumers more control, better choices and significant savings on cable television rates statewide. The Governor has long been regarded as a champion of consumer rights and has shown no opposition to this legislation in the past.

Florida House Bill 529 passed with a vote of 117-to-2 on Monday (the measure passed The Senate with a 30-to-3 vote on April 27) and when it's ratified, The State of Florida will join several other states that have adopted video franchise reform legislation as a means of establishing greater competition and improved telecommunications offerings.

The Alliance for Equal Access -- a bi-partisan consumer advocacy organization, applauds the Florida General Assembly on their progressive actions, which will pave the way for lower cable rates and more affordable broadband services for consumers, particularly those in underserved communities.

"Consumers in Florida have seen their cable rates increase an average of 22% since 2002," commented Julius H. Hollis, Chairman of The Alliance for Equal Access. "The relief proposed in the 'Consumer Choice Act of 2007' is clearly the remedy for what now depletes household budgets throughout the state when it comes to telecommunications. Tens of thousands of consumers have made their opinions known to their Legislators, and now their Legislators are sending a near unanimous message to the Governor about how best to stem these rising rates."

Economic studies have repeatedly shown that competition lowers cable rates and encourages investment in new technologies, but even more importantly, competition empowers consumers to choose their provider and shop for better prices and service.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE: The Alliance for Equal Access is a bi-partisan consumer advocacy organization that serves as a leading voice for underserved communities on matters that pertain to information technology, telecommunications reform and product awareness. The Alliance was incorporated in the State of Georgia as a 501(c)4 non-profit corporation with a well defined mission to facilitate and ensure "equal access" to technology that seeks to empower all communities.

Source: Alliance for Equal Access

CONTACT: Alliance for Equal Access, +1-404-881-2905,
BMaynardScarborough@TheAllianceforEqualAccess.org, or
mscarborough@alfeaaccess.org

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