February 2, 2004

A Secret Hearing on Bad Legislation?

Tony Campbell of the Tennessee Digital Freedom Network writes regarding activity in the tennessee legislature on a bill that may threaten your freedom to use cable TV service you purchase in the way you see fit. (Several posts involving last year's debate over similar legislation are now archived in my Internet & Technology section.

Thanks for your quick reporting on SB3101! I've been scrambling to get organized for what may be a quick and dirty battle, and your post yesterday was a wake-up call on this one. I assume you read the story in The Chattanoogan that referenced SB3101, and included the following quote:

Earlier in the afternoon on Monday, the Communications Theft Study Committee met and recommended for passage a cable theft bill. "Last year this issue generated far more heat than light. This year, after carefully listening to all sides in the debate, we hope to do something to fix the problem that will protect the economic interests of the telecommunications industry without unduly impacting the research interests of legitimate parties," stated Senator Curtis Person (R-Memphis) who will co-sponsor the measure, SB 3101, in the Senate.

None of us here at TNDF were aware of the Monday meeting, though several of us were scanning the legislature website regularly, and had also asked to be notified of any such event. We have been told that there was notice of it in the Tennessee Legislation Service, but at $100 per week this is a bit beyond our budget. Are you aware of anyone who knew that the meeting was to take place? I'm not suggesting any impropriety, mind you, just examining the facts.

Also, though I located the introduction of SB3101 in the Daily Service for 1/29/04, I was unable to find any mention of it, or of the Joint Committee on Communications Security, in the Daily Service for Monday, 1/26.

UPDATE: Sidelines, the student-produced newspaper at MTSU, published the best story I've seen yet in any Tennessee newspaper explaining the legislation and the controversy.