TV4US Wisconsin: Wisconsin cable companies black out Brett

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Thad Nation, 414-412-7814

Favre’s First Game for the Jets Unavailable to Most Wisconsin Viewers

MILWAUKEE, WI – Fresh off of Aaron Rogers’ solid first showing as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin football fans are looking to Saturday to see how Brett Favre does in his new Jets uniform.

But most Wisconsin cable subscribers will have to fly into New York to catch the game.  It’s being shown on the NFL Network, which neither Charter Communications nor Time Warner offers to its customers.

“For Brett Favre fans, it was hard enough to watch him leave the Packers,” said Thad Nation, Executive Director of TV4US Wisconsin.  “Now, just to twist the knife a little further, Wisconsin’s big cable companies won’t even be offering his first game as a Jet.”

Charter and Time Warner have previously been able to get away with poor customer service (according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Cable/Satellite Satisfaction Study) and ever-rising prices, thanks to the monopoly they enjoyed over their respective service areas.

But since the passage of the Video Competition Act, which eliminated the cable monopolies and opened the door to competition in the industry, all that has changed.  There are now a total of fourteen video service providers throughout the state of Wisconsin that have received statewide franchise permits.

Many of those providers offer the NFL Network as part of their services, but Time Warner and Charter continue to hold out.

“Comcast, which offers cable services in several Wisconsin cities, has already reached a deal with the NFL Network to carry the channel,” Nation said.  “If the nation’s largest cable company can do it, there’s no reason why Time Warner or Charter can’t.

“Thankfully for Wisconsin consumers, the Video Competition Act passed and the people of Wisconsin now have cable TV choices that offer NFL Network.”

Consumers can get involved in the TV4US Wisconsin effort by calling 800-597-4103 or through our website at: http://www.wewantchoicewi.com.

TV4US Wisconsin is a project of TV4US.  TV4US is a non-profit organization that includes among its members a diversified group of corporations, non-profit and non-governmental organizations – representing hundreds of thousands of consumers across the country.  We are a non-profit, grassroots coalition advocating on behalf of customers who deserve competitive alternatives, leading to lower cable bills and improved service. We believe that competition will bring more choices, better customer service, and advances in technology for Wisconsin consumers.