A new bill has been introduced in the Wisconsin State Legislature that would undo the progress our state has made in expanding consumer access to video and internet options, improving infrastructure, and creating new jobs.

The “Cable Consumer Repair Bill” was introduced by Rep. Hebl on Tuesday, and seeks to overturn the system of cable competition that was set up under the Video Competition Act (VCA), which was enacted in January of 2008.

Even though the VCA was passed less than two years ago, we’ve already seen a great deal of progress under the bill.  It’s generated real competition, helped improve prices, created hundreds of new jobs, spurred millions in investment in infrastructure, improved customer service and expanded consumers’ access to new video providers, services and features all across the state.

But this new bill would make it significantly harder for new companies to enter the marketplace while simultaneously discouraging future investment in our state.

Especially in these tough economic times, it’s vital to our state’s future that we do everything in our power to encourage infrastructure development in high-tech industries like video and internet services.

We need to let the current bill continue to do its job, rather than put the economic benefits we’ve seen in jeopardy.

Thad Nation, Executive Director

Wired Wisconsin