What you are not saying in your article is the "snow job" ATT and Comcast pulled on the legislatures on this. The new channel allocations for these PEG stations are only 1/4 the resolution of a standard analog channel. That means you either get a 1/4 size picture on your set or, if you expand it, get a fuzzy picture. With HDTV coming in these stations will be at a complete disadvantage. They should be treated and allocated the same access as standard channels. Since the cable companies make money off the other channels, they want to put the little guys off in a corner. I don't think the government realized this when they passed the law in Michigan. Of course, I didn't see anybody from these stations testifying at the FCC. I hope they get their time, too. This is clearly NOT in the public "interest, convienience, and necessity" and is but another grab at a group percieved as not able to fight back at big business.

One thing is being overlooked in Comcast's quest to move PEG (and by the way, leased access) to digital tiers.

Perhaps Congress can simply ask Cohen and he in turn ask Brian Roberts, if they think cable shouldn't try harder to be a good 'corporate citizen' of the towns they serve rather tha being too concerned with Wall Street and stock prices.

I think cable could soon learn the type programming PEG and LPAers (leased access programmers) put on local cable can help with retaining and gaining subscrbribers. Consider it part of 'marketing' and watch it begin to pay off in the stock prices.

Aside to any cable ex reading this: Grow up and return to being the responsible members of communities as were the pioneers who created the cable industry. Many of this voluntarily gave PEG and/or local programming opportunities to their franchising areas.