NC Legislature Approves Cable Franchise Reform

The North Carolina legislature approved a measure Tuesday that will eliminate franchise agreements between cable providers and county and municipal governments, ending the government-sanctioned monopoly cable tv providers have on video programming. Under the new provisions, any company that wishes to offer television service over phone lines or broadband internet can enter the market. This is a huge win for North Carolina consumers, as the increased competition in the video programming market will mean more choices and lower prices.