NAMIC Showdown: Verizon Invades Cable's Turf

Those looking for Verizon’s programming head Terry Denson to fill in the blanks from the leaked FiOS TV programming line-up (Cfax, 9/12) were sorely disappointed. At a crowded NAMIC session Mon, the former Insight exec played his cards close to his vest, simply saying Verizon would deploy video in a few markets this year and "a few more in ’06." Denson went so far as to downplay the threat Verizon plays to cable. "Time Warner is a network deliverer, we’re a network deliverer, even satellite is a deliverer-there’s going to be a whole lot of 3rd parties out there that are going to minimize or diminish the import of a network. If that happens, we’re all in trouble," he said. — NAMIC Notebook: NCTA chief Kyle McSlarrow issued a "call to arms," saying Hill legislation (multicast must carry and video franchising) could influence the industry and minorities for years. — Time Warner Cable’s excited about the expansion of switched digital video. At least vp, network architecture/advanced engineering Louis Williamson is, saying it will open up bandwidth. He was mum on San Diego’s IPTV trial, however. — Wouldn’t it be nice if the attendees at Wed’s Kaitz dinner better matched the racial composition of the population in general? "The color make-up at last year’s soir�e was the same as 5 years ago," Bill Bresnan said. — There is a general sense in the Senate that something needs to be done to remove the franchise issue for the Bell companies, Paul Gallant, svp/media policy analyst for the Stanford Washington Research Group, said during a NAMIC "Inside the Beltway" panel. Potential problem for the telcos: a bill won’t pass unless it specifically prohibits redlining, says Gallant.