By Elana Simms

The campaign kitties of 110 General Assembly members swelled slightly in the 1999 election season thanks to contributions totaling $86,905 from the Virginia Cable Political Action Committee.

The largest chunk of money given by the PAC went to the former House speaker, Delegate Thomas W. Moss Jr., D-Norfolk, in the amount of $5,000.

Delegate C. Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, took second place, receiving $3,500. Rounding out the top five, Delegates Franklin P. Hall, D-Richmond, and Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Frederick M. Quayle, R-Chesapeake, each received $2,500.

House members received $55,830 from the Virginia Cable PAC – with $28,000 going to Democrats and $26,480 to Republicans. Independent Delegate Lacey E. Putney of Bedford got $1,250.

Members of the Senate garnered a total of $31,075, with $12,625 going to Democrats and $18,450 to Republicans.

The PAC is especially concerned about bills requiring cable television companies to allow Internet service providers to use their lines. Supporters of the legislation say such "open access" is good, but the cable industry and other opponents say it is discriminatory and unnecessary.

"It doesn’t apply to other providers of high-speed, high-capacity Internet services, such as satellites, phone companies and cooperatives," said Kathryn Faulk, president and top lobbyist for the Virginia cable TV group.

Currently, a cable company often affiliates with an Internet service provider to offer Internet access over high-speed cable modems. Customers who want to use a different provider must pay extra.

The legislation would give Internet service providers the right to sue cable TV companies that refuse them access. It would also permit localities and Virginia’s attorney general to go to court to force cable companies to open their networks.

Delegate William P. Robinson Jr., D-Norfolk, was the House sponsor of the bill, and Sen. Warren E. Barry, R-Fairfax, was the Senate sponsor. The Virginia Cable PAC had given Robinson $2,000 and Barry $1,000.

Lawmakers have decided to delay the "open access" issue for a year. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee and the House Committee on Corporations, Insurance and Banking each voted unanimously to continue the legislation until 2001.

Barry, who is on the Senate panel, and Robinson, a member of the House committee, voted to delay their own bills.

All 14 members of the Senate committee voted for the delay and received donations from the Virginia Cable PAC.

Of the 25 House committee members favoring the delay, 22 received contributions from the PAC.