National Regulation

Comcast Corp. is seeking total rate deregulation in a large segment of the Dallas market, according to filings the Philadelphia-based company has made with federal regulators during the past six weeks.

If Comcast is successful, Dallas would lose authority to set basic-cable rates at a time when large cable companies are announcing 2005 rate increases that are not playing well in the national media.

In passing a tough broadcast-indecency bill Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee deliberately excluded the cable industry, even though broadcasters pointed out that their programming is become more edgy in order to keep pace with cable networks.

SBC Communications Inc. got bad news from the Federal Communications Commission late Thursday as the agency rejected the Baby Bell’s request for deregulation of Internet-protocol-platform services expected to ride over its $4 billion Project LightSpeed facilities.

In a prepared statement, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said the agency denied the request “on procedural grounds.” The commission had to act by Thursday or SBC’s request would have been automatically granted.

NCTA’s Four-Year Quest to Put Burden on Localities Could be Jeopardized