After reviewing the results of local regulation of cable television, the author feels that local governments are not fully capable of properly administering and regulating a cable system. (The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) agrees that this job should be the states' responsibility.) The article then reviews the structure of the current FCC rules on cable, surveys the legal questions surrounding the FCC's jurisdiction, and comments on the appropriateness of the various rules. Recognizing that official preemption of local authority by the state government will leave the formidable task of creating specific state regulations, the author investigates the alternatives to total state control and recommends that, from the most recent legal and field information, the combination of powers would best serve the development of a sensible cable system in the U. S. The article is comprehensive on the broad legal considerations concerning cable television. (MC)