The question on the doorstep of Congress today: "Is it time for added competition in the video market?"

Verizon and AT&T will be addressing a Senate panel about removing regulations that require companies to obtain local franchise agreements so that they can increase the pace of their IPTV rollouts.

Currently, each company has to obtain a local franchise agreement to offer television service. This process is time consuming as each municipality can negotiate different terms to the agreement.

Texas has already passed a law making state-wide franchise agreements possible. Following that law, SBC devoted $800 million in video and high-speed Internet access technology for the state.

Robert Quinn, AT&T's senior vice president for federal relations, stated, "At that rate, it would take 65 years to obtain all of the franchise we need in order to complete the initial build portion [of their IPTV rollout]. It is time to remove those barriers to investment and competition."

For more information, read this article in InternetNews.com.