I’ve got a new op-ed in the Springfrield News-Leader on cable franchise reform. It’s mostly Missouri specific, but I do survey a couple of important recent studies on the issue:
Several new studies find that reform would bring substantial benefits for consumers. Jerry Brito and Jerry Ellig of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University calculate that cable franchise reform could increase competition and save consumers nationwide $5.5 billion per year. Kent Lassman of the Progress and Freedom Foundation published a study last month that focused specifically on the Missouri cable market. He estimated that franchise reform could save Missouri consumers more than $100 million per year.
These predictions are borne out by experience. A survey released last month by the American Consumer Institute shows the dramatic results of the Texas franchise reform: in three of the first communities where Verizon Communications began offering video service in competition with the incumbent cable companies, more than 20 percent of consumers switched to the new service. Customers who switched since Verizon entered the markets have saved an average of $20 per month on their cable bills.
But the benefits of competition go beyond saving money. Many of the “switchers” indicated they did so because they preferred the package of channels offered by the new company. Others cited dissatisfaction with the quality or customer service of their previous company. Competition drives down prices, but it also spurs companies to offer higher-quality, more responsive service. Consumers in Texas are reaping those benefits.
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