Governor clears way for more cable competition

With a stroke of his pen this past weekend, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich ushered in what he and others hope will be a new era of competition for home video services.

The legislation Blagojevich signed allows new video service providers, principally telephone companies like AT&T or Verizon, to win statewide approval to offer services rather than going through the time-consuming process of negotiating franchises with individual communities.