These mayors hope inflaming the rivalry at the local level could reverse a surge in cable prices. The only way to get a company like Adelphia to listen up is to hit them in the pocketbook.
Cable operators stand by their record and their service.
DirecTV says the strategy may have only limited potential nationwide because of cities' demands for government-affairs channels that cable operators provide but that satellite hasn't the space to accommodate. EchoStar says this is just the beginning of a guerrilla marketing campaign that could undercut cable. This deflates the perception that satellite is expensive and cumbersome and lacks local channels. Though all the relationships are slightly different, they boil down to a virtual endorsement of satellite service by City Hall. The cities don't actively market the satellite service but rather invite these companies to make pitches at city council meetings that ironically are broadcast on government channels provided by cable operators.