WSJ Retort

Cox pres Pat Esser had a few choice words for the Wall Street Journal in a Tues letter to the editor disputing the paper’s assertions about cable in its Jan 2 editorial titled "Franchise Freedom." In that editorial, WSJ lobbed several anti-cable barbs in lending support to the FCC’s Dec franchise ruling, which is generally opposed by the cable industry and (Cfax, Dec 21). "Allowing Bell companies preferred entry into the video market will not magically lower prices for consumers, but creating an unfair advantage for these large companies does hold the potential to unjustly damage existing competitors," Esser wrote. "It’s disappointing that a leading business newspaper would demonstrate so little insight into the economics of this business by overlooking the effect of wholesale costs (programming) on retail costs."