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Verizon, Md. County Settle Video Dispute
by Michael Martinez
A video-franchising spat between one of Maryland's most affluent counties and Verizon Communications might be in its final throes.
Verizon has reached a tentative agreement with officials in Montgomery County over a franchise that will allow the company to offer video service over a fiber-optic network it already has built there. The deal must be authorized by the Montgomery County Council.
It has been an arduous negotiation process for both parties. A judge ordered both sides to mediation earlier this summer after Verizon sued the county. The firm alleged that the county's existing franchising rules violated the First Amendment and federal communications and antitrust laws.
The lawsuit will be dismissed, pending the council's approval of the franchising agreement.
"We are extremely pleased that we have been able to resolve our differences with Verizon and work out an agreement that will result in increased cable competition, while ensuring consumer protections for our residents," county Chief Administrative Officer Bruce Romer said in a statement.
According to the terms, Verizon will obtain a 15-year franchise to operate within the county and will pay a 5 percent fee on television revenue. The company expects to be providing service to homes in Montgomery County by next year, if the deal is authorized.
"We're eager to work with the council to bring this matter to conclusion so that Verizon can bring the many benefits of choice and competition to Montgomery County residents as quickly as possible," Verizon Maryland President William Roberts said in a statement.
The agreement also would require Verizon to provide service to 100 public-use buildings, support public education and governmental channels, and pay $1 million over a five-year period for cable-related investments.
"We are extremely pleased to have reached agreement with Verizon, and we are looking forward to working with them to provide Montgomery County residents with the cable services they expect and deserve," said Alisoun Moore, director of the county's Technology Services Department.
New Va. Office Focuses On Telework, Broadband
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine on Tuesday signed an executive order to create a statewide office for promoting telework and the universal deployment of high-speed Internet services.
The office will be within the office of the state's technology secretary. The office's goals will be to extend broadband availability to every corner of the state and to promote teleworking policies at private business and public agencies.
"Telework is a family-friendly, business-friendly public policy that helps us recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in a competitive job market," Kaine said in a news release. "It also protects environmental quality and promotes energy conservation by reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Telework also allows a better balance between work and family.
"For all of these reasons, it is important for state government to support public and private-sector efforts to promote widespread adoption of telework."
It was a busy week for Kaine, who on Wednesday also opened the nation's first training center for the next generation of the Internet. It was built by Command Information.
The facility, which is located in the company's base of Herndon, Va., will be used to prepare workers from both government agencies and private companies for the transition to Internet protocol version 6, or IPv.6. The current version of the Internet that is most commonly used, IPv.4, was developed 35 years ago.
"Virginia is the national epicenter of the next-generation Internet," Kaine said. "I am pleased that Command Information is leading the way in helping businesses and government agencies across the commonwealth and the nation realize the tremendous benefits IPv.6 brings to our citizens and our economy."
Command Information CEO Tom Patterson said the new center will help spark economic growth in the company's home state. "The training center will be a resource for companies of all shapes and sizes to learn how IPv.6 can improve the way business is done," he said. "Forward-thinking companies and federal institutions have much to gain from the next-generation Internet."
Maine Prosecutor Fights Feds Over Wiretaps
Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe on Tuesday filed documents in a U.S. district court there pushing for the dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit sparked by an inquiry into whether Verizon violated privacy laws by providing the National Security Agency with the telephone records of the company's customers without their consent.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Rowe argued that a Maine Public Utilities Commission probe into the National Security Agency spying program should be allowed to go forward.
Zach Heiden, a staff attorney for the Maine Civil Liberties Union, told the Press Herald that he is encouraged that the state's top law enforcer is taking the case seriously.
"The state isn't simply going to roll over and let the federal government tell it what to do," he said. "It is going to stand up for the state's prerogative to investigate Verizon."
Earlier this week, acting New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said her state has the right to move forward with an investigation it has launched into the NSA's program. She said the Justice Department cannot claim the program is a state secret in an effort to block the probe because the program is no longer a secret.
Northrop Grumman Inks N.Y. Safety Contract
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday announced that Northrop Grumman has been tapped to build a high-speed, wireless public-safety network.
Northrop Grumman has inked a $500 million contract for the network, which Bloomberg said is the most aggressive municipal safety initiative of its kind. He said the network, which will serve all city safety agencies, should be activated in areas in lower Manhattan by next year.
"One of the most important lessons learned from the Sept. 11th attacks was that our emergency responders need better access to information and clearer lines of communication in the field," Bloomberg said in a statement. "The Citywide Wireless Mobile Network will be a dedicated network that will ensure that public-safety personnel will have the tools they need at their fingertips to fight crime and help New Yorkers in emergencies."
Paul Chelson, Northrop Grumman's wireless program manager, said the company has designed a network infrastructure specifically tailored for the city's needs that will enhance the performance of responders during emergencies, as well as streamline their day-to-day tasks. "This solution will provide critical information for emergency responders who protect and serve the residents of New York City," he said.
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