Cable Continues Push for LFA Notification Requirement Rollback

The requirement cable companies give a 30-day notice to local franchise authorities (LFA) of rate or service changes "is an obsolete artifact" of the cable rate regulation era and an unnecessary burden that should be ended, said a docket 17-105 ex parte posting Tuesday on a meeting between NCTA, Comcast, Charter and Cox representatives and FCC Media Bureau staffers. The cablers said one operator's annual budget for such LFA notifications is $85,000. They said such burdens show why advance notice requirements shouldn't apply if the change comes from circumstances outside the cable operator's control. LFA interests oppose the cable industry push for rollback of LFA notifications requirements (see 2002250005).