Cable Television Industry Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council gave its blessing Tuesday to the takeover of a 94,000-subscriber cable television system in the east San Fernando Valley by AT&T. But the council's benediction came with an asterisk. Over the next 90 days, AT&T and other cable operators must come up with a plan that will allow local Internet providers "nondiscriminatory access" to their cable lines, the council required.

Bringing an end to long-standing monopolies, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for the first head-to-head competition in the cable television business citywide--a move that could lead to lower rates and better service. The council, in a 12-2 vote, approved plans by Western Integrated Networks to build a fiber-optic network for delivering cable television, high-speed Internet access and telephone service to the city's 3.4 million residents.

Cable TV Impact on the L.A. Economy: The local cable TV industry contributes $2.4 billion annually toward the local Los Angeles economy, according to a joint study by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Southern California Cable TV Assn. The figure includes $1.4 billion contributed by local cable TV operators and $1 billion contributed by programming and production firms, the report says.

AT&T won City Council approval Tuesday to take over six of Los Angeles' 14 cable television franchises, renewing the debate over one media giant controlling so much of the city's cable system. The council approved the transfer of franchises from MediaOne, which AT&T agreed to buy last year but is still some months from closing the purchase, said Paul Janis, who oversees cable franchises for the city.

Redondo Beach officials are fighting with a local cable provider over plans to raise rates by 25% next month. Starting May 1, Century Cable intends to charge residents an additional $5.23 per month for basic cable. Currently, residents pay $20.57 per month. The increase will raise the bill to $25.80. Under new Federal Communications Commission guidelines, cable companies can raise their rates if they add channels.

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday urged local cable TV operators to voluntarily refrain from raising their rates for basic service amid reports that those rates will significantly increase starting today when new fee systems take effect.

Just six months after arguing that higher cable fees would drive subscribers away, Century Cable Television has announced it is about to impose a double-digit rate increase. The 13.9% rate boost, which takes effect Dec. 1, follows a high-spending lobbying campaign last spring by cable operators, including Century, to defeat a proposed 10% utility tax on cable services.

The city of Los Angeles' attempt to plug a $13-million hole in next year's budget is pitting two politically savvy and well-financed industries against each other in one of the most intense City Hall lobbying campaigns in years. Entertainment industry officials and cable television operators are going head to head to see which--if either--will be hit with taxes needed to shore up Los Angeles' sagging finances.

The city of Los Angeles may have missed the opportunity to collect several hundred thousand dollars by failing to regularly audit the payment of fees by its cable television franchises, the city controller said Monday. The city charges six cable companies that operate 13 franchises in Los Angeles 5% of gross revenue. The amount of money received through the fee has increased 25% in four years, to $15.6 million last year.

AT&T won City Council approval Tuesday to take over six of Los Angeles' 14 cable television franchises, renewing the debate over one media giant controlling so much of the city's cable system. The council approved the transfer of franchises from MediaOne, which AT&T agreed to buy last year but is still some months from closing the purchase, said Paul Janis, who oversees cable franchises for the city.

Two cable deals announced Wednesday promise to bring about the most far-reaching changes in the Los Angeles-area cable landscape since franchises were first issued in the market in the late 1980s. After a customer swap with Comcast, Adelphia Communications would become the region's largest operator, serving 1.1 million out of the 2.8 million cable subscribers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. In the other transaction, Charter Communications would pay $1.

The city of Los Angeles may have missed the opportunity to collect several hundred thousand dollars by failing to regularly audit the payment of fees by its cable television franchises, the city controller said Monday. The city charges six cable companies that operate 13 franchises in Los Angeles 5% of gross revenue. The amount of money received through the fee has increased 25% in four years, to $15.6 million last year.

The city of Los Angeles may have missed the opportunity to collect several hundred thousand dollars by failing to regularly audit its cable television franchises for underpayment of fees, the city controller said Monday. In the last seven audits done from 1987 to 1993, cable companies underpaid city franchise fees by $569,000, including penalties and interest, City Controller Rick Tuttle found in a study released Monday.

The Los Angeles City Council gave its blessing Tuesday to the takeover of a 94,000-subscriber cable television system in the east San Fernando Valley by AT&T. But the council's benediction came with an asterisk. Over the next 90 days, AT&T and other cable operators must come up with a plan that will allow local Internet providers "nondiscriminatory access" to their cable lines, the council required.

Redondo Beach officials are fighting with a local cable provider over plans to raise rates by 25% next month. Starting May 1, Century Cable intends to charge residents an additional $5.23 per month for basic cable. Currently, residents pay $20.57 per month. The increase will raise the bill to $25.80. Under new Federal Communications Commission guidelines, cable companies can raise their rates if they add channels.

Disturbed by a deluge of complaints about Century Cable Television, Los Angeles city officials are threatening to begin proceedings to revoke the company's operating franchise. The Los Angeles Department of Telecommunications reports that 57% of the complaints the department receives about cable carriers concern Century, even though the company serves only 23% of the city's cable subscribers.

Two cable deals announced Wednesday promise to bring about the most far-reaching changes in the Los Angeles-area cable landscape since franchises were first issued in the market in the late 1980s. After a customer swap with Comcast, Adelphia Communications would become the region's largest operator, serving 1.1 million out of the 2.8 million cable subscribers in Los Angeles and Orange counties. In the other transaction, Charter Communications would pay $1.

Tens of thousands of cable television subscribers across much of Los Angeles will see rates for basic and premium services climb early next year, with the biggest increase slated for hookup fees charged to new cable customers in South-Central Los Angeles. Five cable companies with subscribers from Sylmar to San Pedro told the city's Board of Telecommunications Commissioners on Friday they intend to raise basic rates between 2.6% and 9.4% in coming months.

Television viewers still reeling from last month's sharp hikes in their cable bills and a reshuffled channel lineup had better fasten the seat beats on their couches. Another rude awakening may be in store Wednesday. Some of their favorite channels may be missing. Wednesday is the start date for the so-called retransmission-consent clause of the controversial 1992 cable law that Congress passed last year, which allows broadcast-TV stations to charge cable operators to carry their programs.

Hoping to rein in cable-television rates in some of Los Angeles' poorer communities, city officials will soon apply for new fee-setting authority over companies that serve areas including South-Central Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock and the Hollywood-Wilshire area. The applications, city officials said, will be forwarded to the Federal Communications Commission as early as this week.