In recent months, we have worked to identify measures which would improve the responsiveness and openness of the state's Public Service Commission (PSC), New York's primary regulator of the cable industry. We have focused on the factors that keep reform of the PSC from moving forward.

We believe that the public should be allowed into the regulatory process of not only cable television, but the other industries and responsibilities that fall under the PSC, including electric, gas, steam, telecommunications and water utilities, the siting of major gas and electric transmission facilities, and the safety of natural gas and liquid petroleum pipelines. This is an issue that affects those interested in environmental and consumer protection issues, the equitable provision of utility services to all New Yorkers or simply the terms and conditions of their family's cell phone contract. The NYS PSC undoubtedly cuts across interest areas and highlights some of the most dire intersections of money in politics.

Understanding the role which campaign lobbying dollars have on the PSC and the officials who oversee it and appoint its members will help all of us identify effective ways to limit that influence.