Backers of legislation to re-regulate cable television prices and services say they'll be back next year with an even tougher bill following a defeat in the Senate. On Sept. 28, Sen. Timothy Wirth, D-Colo., objected to bringing the bill to the floor for debate or a vote, where it was expected to pass easily. Faced with a possible filibuster, a sponsor of the bill, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, declared the measure ``dead and buried'' for the 101st Congress. Congress is expected to adjourn as early as the middle of October. Backers of the bill said that the cable industry's victory might be short-lived and that it would only strengthen the hand of would-be competitors. Home satellite companies are itching to compete with cable and are expected to push provisions of the Senate bill that would guarantee them access to cable programming. Broadcasters also want cable to pay for the programming it now takes virtually for free. ``There may come a time when the cable industry will devoutly wish they had taken today's deal,'' said Edward O. Fritts, president of the National Association of Broadcasters. The Office of Management and Budget had issued a veto warning on the bill, which would have restored some of the government oversight of cable that Congress lifted in 1984. OMB said that the bill imposed too many restrictions on cable and that increased competition - perhaps from the telephone industry - was the answer to any problems in the cable industry. Basic cable prices on average have risen 43 percent in the past three years.
