Comcast sues state over conditions on new operating permit

Cable television giant Comcast is suing the Public Utility Commission over the panel’s decision to require the company to expand its network and step up support for community access TV if it wants to continue doing business in Vermont.

A key issue is the services Comcast must provide to local community access systems that carry municipal government and school board meetings and other local events. The 26 community access systems have been pushing — against resistance by Comcast — for high-definition video, greater ability to operate from remote locations, and inclusion in the interactive program guides that Comcast customers can use to decide what to watch.

The PUC — formerly known as the Public Service Board — in January issued a new 11-year permit for Comcast to operate in Vermont. In July the panel rejected the company’s request to drop some of the conditions attached to the permit.

In a lawsuit filed Monday at the U.S. District Court in Burlington, Comcast argued that the PUC “exceeded its authority under federal and Vermont law” by imposing “numerous conditions on Comcast’s continued cable operations in the state that are arbitrary, unprecedented and will ultimately harm local cable subscribers by resulting in millions of dollars in increased cable costs.”

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2017/08/30/comcast-sues-state-conditions-new-operating-permit/#.WakwBsaQzRY