Oklahoma congressman Markwayne Mullin tried again to get congress to pass his Cable Transparency Act in an effort to expand broadband connectivity in eastern Oklahoma.
This week, he reintroduced the Act to bridge what he contends is a digital divide and create new opportunities for cable operators and franchise authorities. The Act was reintroduced as part of the House Energy and Commerce Republicans’ Broadband Connectivity Agenda. Mullin is a member of the committee.
The agenda includes 28 bills that would close the digital divide for families, eliminate red tape and speed the broader deployment of broadband services.
Why is the Representative so interested in broadband?
“Oklahoma’s Second District is the only congressional district in the country where broadband is available to less than half the population and with the COVID-19 pandemic, access to broadband has become more important than ever,” Mullin said.
He contends his Act would allow more companies to enter the market and provide services to those who don’t have the access now.
The “Cable Transparency Act” would:
- Amend the Cable Act to provide that a cable franchise remains in place until terminated by either the cable operator or the franchising authority.
- Establish conditions under which a cable operator or franchising authority could terminate the franchise.
Full text of the Cable Transparency Act can be found here.