Consumers for Cable Choice Welcomes California Small Business Association; Advocacy Group's Membership Increases by 200,000

Consumers for Cable Choice Welcomes California Small Business Association; Advocacy Group's Membership Increases by 200,000

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Small Business Association (CSBA), the nation's largest, statewide small business organization, joined Consumers for Cable Choice and pledged today to put the weight of its 200,000 members toward convincing Congress to bring competition to the cable television industry.

Betty Jo Toccoli, president of CSBA, said it makes great sense for her organization to join forces with Indiana-based Consumers for Cable Choice.

"We work to raise the profile of small businesses in California so that our state and federal legislators keep their interests in mind when they make or amend public policy," Toccoli said. "We view the prospect of increased competition and expanded telecommunications as greatly beneficial to our members, and we want to see telecommunications reform at the federal level to help small business organizations throughout the country."

Jim Conran, executive director of Consumers for Cable Choice, said he was thrilled to add CSBA to his group's growing membership.

"Small business drives the nation's economy, and expanded broadband applications will drive the nation's small business economy into the next decade," Conran said. "CSBA is to be commended for taking a visionary role in advocating for reform that will open the doors to meaningful interactive service innovations."

CSBA was founded as an outgrowth of the 1980 White House Conference on Small Business. The organization serves as a federal and state legislative liaison and conducts research to help its members identify their needs, determine solutions and grow their businesses. The CSBA has offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles, Calif. Ms. Toccoli can be reached at 1-800-350-CSBA.

CSBA is the largest and newest member of Consumers for Cable Choice, which was formed in June 2005. Last week, the organization and three of its other members, which advocate for people with disabilities, called on Congress to reform the nation's telecommunications laws to encourage competition in the cable television industry.

The groups are pushing for increased competition because they believe it will be the impetus for providers to offer consumers new features such as super high speed video services, which include interactive TV and telemedicine. The groups also believe that, much like the long-distance and cellular telephone industries, prices will fall even as technological advances greatly increase.

"We strongly believe that a majority of Americans want competition for their telecommunications services, and we know they want low prices; we think they deserve both," Conran said, encouraging Americans to log on to the group's Web site -- http://www.consumers4choice.org/ -- and let their elected officials know how they feel.

Consumers for Cable Choice is calling on Congress to enact the Video Choice Act of 2005, saying it will provide immediate benefits to consumers due to explosive growth in new services and feature options that would enable the nation's televisions to be transformed from passive information sharing devices into interactive portals that can enhance their lives.

About Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. Consumers for Cable Choice is a national alliance of consumer advocacy groups, private citizens and others who are committed to promoting maximum choice for consumers in cable, video and broadband services. Its mission is to actively remove the regulatory roadblocks that stand between today's monopolies and reformed government policies that open the channels for fair competition. The group uses a combination of education and grassroots advocacy to impact change, which will result in a deregulated and pro-consumer market that stimulates fair price, more choices and better service options in the cable television industry.

President and General Counsel Robert K. Johnson has been advocating for policies that benefit residential and small business consumers for more than 20 years. He is a public utility expert. Executive Director Jim Conran has represented consumer issues in the corporate, public and nonprofit sectors for 25 years. He has expertise in regulatory and public policy.

To learn more, visit http://www.consumers4choice.org/ or call 317-885-0097 or (866) 213-0536.

Source: Consumers for Cable Choice

CONTACT: Jim Conran of Consumers for Cable Choice, +1-925-253-1937; Cheryl Reed or Amy Zucker of Synergy Marketing Group, Inc., +1-317-205-9690, cherylreed@synergy-mg.com

Web site: http://www.consumers4choice.org/

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