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Tuesday, January 2

Federal Communications Commission Approves New Cable Rules

by Dave Lambert on Tue 02 Jan 2007 02:42 PM EST

From the Michigan Municipal League...

An order eliminating local governments’ ability to regulate cable franchises was adopted by the Federal Cable Commission (FCC) in 3-2 partisan ruling on December 20.

The order requires locals to negotiate a franchise within 90 days and limits the total amount of fees, including PEG and in-kind services, to 5 percent. Also, because it does not include any build-out requirements, the order allows applicants to decide where and when to provide service.

The order’s impact on recently enacted state laws is uncertain. According to FCC commissioners, it will not pre-empt the state laws that make it easier for providers to enter the market.

The order will not have the force of law until it is released publicly. This is expected to occur through the Federal Register in early February. Once official, it will certainly undergo scrutiny by Congress and advocacy groups at the federal level.

Many believe the FCC order oversteps its legal authority as a regulatory agency. Prior to the vote, national local government advocacy organizations, as well as Congressman John Dingell, incoming chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, expressed such concerns in letters to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. CLICK HERE to read Dingell’s letter and other related documents.

Several national advocacy organizations, including the National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties and National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, are reviewing options including asking for a stay of the order while seeking a court review.

The MML will continue to provide updates on this issue as it unfolds. For more information please visit the MML Federal Telecommunications Webpage or contact Arnold Weinfeld at 517-908-0304; aweinfeld@mml.org.

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Troy Police Crime Report --- January 2, 2007

by Dave Lambert on Tue 02 Jan 2007 12:17 PM EST

TROY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Charles T. Craft, Chief of Police
500 W. Big Beaver, Troy, Michigan 48084
(248) 524-3443

Community Services ... more »

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Detroit Free Press: Strapped cities eye money of development authorities

by Dave Lambert on Tue 02 Jan 2007 06:27 AM PST

By Julie Edgar…

…Like other cities sweating out a bad economy -- Warren and Walled Lake among them -- Royal Oak is asking itself whether it can afford to lose money to its DDA, which keeps tax revenues that result from boosts in property values within the district and invests them in public infrastructure improvements…

…"With the budget being tight, we're always looking for new sources of revenue and ways to cut expenditures or do things differently," said Royal Oak City Manager Tom Hoover. "We want to take a thorough look at everything that's going on." Walled Lake is looking, too. Last year, the city struck a deal to share $4 million of its DDA's revenues over a 5-year period, a move that led to a lawsuit by Oakland County. City Manager Jerry Walker said last week that Walled Lake started to feel a budget pinch and wanted to partner with the DDA to cover basics like trash pickup and police services. Oakland County, which stands to lose $1 million if the arrangement stands, sued Walled Lake in September. It claims Walled Lake pressured the DDA to share revenues or else it wouldn't approve its budget. The county is asking a judge to declare that any surplus revenues collected by a DDA should be spread among all the taxing authorities that give them up. The case is pending in Oakland County Circuit Court...