FRANK CONTINUES TO BE DISAPPOINTED BY COMCAST'S DECISION TO END LOCAL NEWS
Cable Company Refuses to Bring Back Local News

            Newton, MA—Congressman Barney Frank released the following letter regarding local news in southeastern Massachusetts.  Previously, Mr. Frank wrote to Mr. Casey asking that local news in Fall River and New Bedford be reinstated by the company. 

October 18, 2006

Mr. Kevin Casey
Northern Division President
Comcast
676 Island Pond Road
Manchester, New Hampshire 03109

Dear Mr. Casey, 

I appreciate your assuring me that your “commitment to locally produced content remains strong,” but I was not talking about some generic “locally produced content” but to hard news.  There is already too little of this on television, and nothing in your letter in any way mollifies my strong disappointment at your decision to discontinue local news on Fall River and New Bedford Cable.  I am familiar with CN8.  It is in no way a substitute for what we had.  Neither is NECN. The fact that the mayor is interested in partnering with you to replace something does not persuade me that it was a good idea to abolish the program that would be replaced.

The fact is that you and other cable companies enjoy very strong federally guaranteed rights in your dealings with municipalities.  I reiterate my view that a decision such as the one that you took leads me to believe that we should be giving the municipalities more rights and it certainly disinclines me strongly to support any requests you make for increasing your ability to override municipal control as you provide these services.

BARNEY FRANK

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Mr. Frank’s correspondence on this issue can be found at http://www.house.gov/frank/comcast090606.html