EPB vs. Comcast vs. The People

I really don’t know who to believe anymore when it comes to the Electric Power Board’s push to establish a cable network in southeast Tennessee. Comcast has been clear about their stance. They will fight tooth and nail to prevent such a move, and their reasoning is obvious – they’ve currently got a monopoly on cable television, they charge entirely too much, and they’re afraid of losing market share.

I welcome competition into any market because I believe in capitalism and a free market economy.  If a company wants to enter the local cable market to compete with Comcast, I’m all for it – mainly because my cable price should go down.

Comcast, or some other unnamed group, has created a website called TheyFail…WePay.  Although there is no “about us” page to let us know who operates the website, their intent is clear – to stop EPB’s entry into the cable and internet business.

Here’s where my concern over the EPB deal comes into play.  According to this website, Tennessee state law prohibits public electric revenues from being used to subsidize cable and internet operations.  Also according to this website, EPB is using an electric bond to finance the construction of their network.  If both of those statements are true, then EPB is in violation of state law and should be held accountable.

This situation intrigues me on many different levels.  I welcome competition into the cable market, but I don’t feel too good about using taxpayers’ money to pay for it.

Since EPB is owned by me and you (the city), I feel that this decision should go to the voters in the next election.  The only problem is, we would likely never get all of the facts needed to make an informed decision.  The city government would tell us what they wanted us to hear, and Comcast would tell us what they wanted us to hear.  I challenge our state legislators to make a direct effort to educate their constituents on this issue, and to act according to the will of the people.