Large telcos may have great ambitions to deliver video services, but what often gets in the way for providers such as AT&T is not just the technical issues, but rather local regulatory issues. One state where AT&T has seen progress in the video franchising arena is in Ohio.
Following the passage of Ohio’s Senate Bill 117 in 2007, legislation that effectively developed a statewide standards to authorize video franchises, AT&T says that it has been able to extend U-Verse IPTV service to more than 25 percent of households in its Ohio wireline service area. The passage of the bill effectively streamlined the authorization process for new competitors such as AT&T to get a cable franchise in Ohio cities and towns.