Cable Television in Ithaca, New York : 1952-1977 : a Case Study of Local Regulation

Over the past few years federal authorities and local officials have disagreed over how adequately local municipalities are equipped to regulate cable television. The purpose of this study was to trace the development of local regulation in the City of Ithaca, New York in order to determine if the city effectively regulated its cable franchisee. Procedure: The term effective regulation was defined to mean: (1) rates were reasonable and unwarranted rate hikes were prevented; (2) local needs were met by the cable operator; and (3) the cable service provided was technically adequate. Data for the study was collected from: (1) newspaper articles; (2) written documents; and (3) personal interviews. All information was organized into chronological order and analyzed. Conclusions: (1) regulation of cable television by the City of Ithaca was effective; (2) an Advisory Committee On Cable Television is currently necessary for a community to effectively regulate CATV; (3) the FCC should provide more extensive assistance to municipalities; and (4) the City of Ithaca should withdraw from the Tompkins County Cable Television Commission. Recommendations: (1) investigate the possibility of over-regulation in Ithaca; (2) expand this study when Anthony Ceracche is willing to cooperate; and (3) attempt to generalize the results of this study through further research in other municipalities