Recently, the U.S. Senate began a two-week debate on campaign finance reform and soon will take up tax reform.
Since the laws that may take form from Senate action eventually will shape the lives of all of us to a significant degree, many of us would be very interested in following the Senate debate.
The television channel C-SPAN2 televises Senate proceedings when it is in session (C-SPAN1 covers the House).
This is the channel that gave us complete coverage of the Senate's conduct of the Clinton impeachment matter without commercial interruption.
Unfortunately, Comcast, the cable television company that serves most Lake County residents and which carried C-SPAN2's coverage of the impeachment proceedings, apparently has decided that some Lake County residents have no interest in viewing all of the Senate proceedings.
The company often removes C-SPAN2 from its lineup for many customers and in its place has given us The Villages News Network, which provides an overview of the parochial activities of The Villages and other parts of a tri-county area.
Why has Comcast done this?
Who knows. Sadly, its actions need not represent any more than the capricious and arbitrary decision of a company that exercises a near-complete stranglehold on cable services in Lake County.
Time Warner, which provides cable services to a limited area of the county, does carry C-SPAN2 as well as a number of other channels not in the Comcast lineup.
Comcast's evident disdain for Lake County residents whose interest in public affairs extends beyond town meetings, softball, line dancing and the like is misguided and shameful.
The company should be expected to facilitate, not impede, residents' ability to be fully informed of actions at the highest levels of government since, after all, it is they who must deal with the consequences.
