L.A. Violated Cable Firm’s Rights, U.S. Judge Rules

A federal judge has ruled that the cable television franchising system set up by the city of Los Angeles violated the 1st Amendment rights of a company that sought a franchise in 1983, officials said this week.

In a decision released last week, U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall ruled that the city had violated Preferred Communications’ 1st Amendment right to offer service to city residents. In the ruling, Marshall invalidated the city’s requirement that cable television companies provide public access channels and a minimum channel capacity, said Rob Bramson, an attorney for Preferred Communications.

Company attorneys hailed the decision as having nationwide importance by further limiting the control that cities have over cable television. But an attorney for the city, Larrine S. Holbrooke, said that outside California federal judges have tended to favor the right of a city to franchise cable television.