“Consumers are complaining about their steadily climbing cable TV bills – up 86 percent in the past 10 years, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Their local officials agree, but with a caveat: That’s not all that’s at stake, they say. The municipalities’ ability to enforce cable operators’ customer service standards, control rights of way and take a cut of their revenue is at risk. State or federal bills would allow would-be cable operators to bypass local franchise agreements.”