A study of the cable television franchising process used in Houston, Texas

In 1979 the City Council of Houston, Texas awarded five cable television franchises to provide for cable television service to its residents. The process had taken nearly thirty years to complete and finally came to its ultimate conclusion in the United States Supreme Court.;It also explores such issues as the sorting out of responsibility to citizens between government and industry, the process of deciding whether cable television is a "utility" or not and why the courts became involved at all in an issue which is normally a local decision. It also gives a glimpse of the Houston political scene of the period and some exposure to the inner workings of the cable television industry. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.);The thesis examines how the process started, why and how the city service areas were decided by the various cable operators and why the process was significant enough to be considered by the high court.