JACKSON - When Scottie Cuevas' cable bill shot up, the Hancock County man shared his outrage, expressed in dozens of letters to the editor and coffee-shop conversations.

And, because Cuevas is a state senator, he decided to do something about it.

Cuevas, D-Pass Christian, has filed a bill that would give the state Public Service Commission authority to regulate cable companies. Currently, the companies enter into franchise agreements with local governments, obtaining virtual monopolies over certain service areas.

Cuevas and the bill's other sponsors, Sens. Tommy Robertson, R-Moss Point, and Nolan Mettetal, D-Batesville, hope the commission can ensure lower rates and better service from cable companies.

"They don't answer to any one entity right now," Cuevas said. "For the most part, they can do what they want to do."

The Senate Public Utilities Committee, which Robertson chairs, has scheduled a Thursday hearing on the bill. Robertson predicted it would pass then.

The bill is riding a wave of derision toward cable companies, which have irked customers recently with rate increases and business practices.

For instance, Cuevas' cable payments increased by more than $20 per month after the locally owned company that once served his home was bought out by Cable One.

Other customers complain about poor service, as well as aggressive - some say deceptive - marketing techniques.

"You don't have to buy expanded basic service just to get HBO," said Gene Kimmelman of the Washington-based Consumers Union. "A lot of people don't know that, and the cable companies aren't going to tell them."

In their defense, cable companies point out that they're offering more channels to more people than ever before. They've also begun offering high-speed Internet access to customers.

And rates for similar cable service are roughly standard, hovering just above $40, throughout South Mississippi.

Still, many consumer advocates contend that most cable companies enjoy monopolies in local markets. Cable One, for instance, has provided cable in most areas of the three coastal counties since the early 1990s, when it began buying out smaller operations.

Whether the commission could push rates down is a question open to debate.

"It's all kind of uncertain right now," said Bobby Waites, executive director of the PSC's public utilities staff. Waites said he thinks his agency would have "some authority" over rates.

Most agree that public boards can regulate the cost of basic cable service. But that can't stop the companies from reducing the amount of channels they offer in basic packages.

"They'll do that in a heartbeat," said Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America. "Putting cable under a PSC is a good step. But it won't be a panacea."

The bill is Senate Bill 2162.