save access

We hope this won't happen, but in a places like the corporate world and government where it many times seems like greed is god it could be possible. We received the following which plays out like a sleezy porno movie complete with wha wha guitar chinking away in the background, from Chuck Sherwood this morning on the Alliance list serve, written by Bruce Kushnick and forwarded to tleletruth dot org.

Teletruth News Analysis, August 16th, 2010

link on the web

Google and Verizon: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Verizon and Google recently created an "understanding" over the Internet and
net neutrality titled: "Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal".

The details don't really matter at this point. What matters is --- Google is
not going to be a force that will protect the public interest from the
controllers of the wires, who are now engaged in serious anti-trust games.
Comcast, AT&T and Verizon are now lobbying, funding astroturf groups, (fake
consumer groups), a horde of paid-off minority groups, not to mention
corporate-funded think tanks, state and federal Congressmen and Senators
--- all to make sure that the wires are private property for their use, with
walled-in ghettos of influence and control. Read more

Do it or loose it:

LOG IN AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

Thank You

Jill Butterworth, Deputy Press Secretary,Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley
writes:

AG COAKLEY'S OFFICE URGES FCC TO ADOPT COMMON SENSE MEASURES TO ADDRESS WIRELESS PHONE "BILL SHOCK"

BOSTON - Attorney General Martha Coakley's Office has requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate greater transparency and real-time notification to alert wireless phone users of their voice and data usage prior to charging them excessive fees outside of pre-set use plans.

The Attorney General's comments were filed with the FCC in connection with an FCC inquiry aimed at looking into whether it should adopt measures that would alert wireless phone customers before they exceed their predetermined allocations of voice minutes, text message limits, or data usage.

"Rapidly changing technology, easy access to expensive wireless data services and complex billing practices regularly leave wireless phone customers with unexpected and extremely high bills," said AG Coakley. "Simple protections such as usage alerts and preset cut-off mechanisms that have long been standards in other industries should be adopted to better protect wireless customers from unexpected charges." READ MORE...

...and it is participatory !

I remember well those public hearings and countless cable advisory meetings where WCCA and our community supporters rallied around one of many important components of PUBLIC ACCESS value in our fight for continued, at least level funding. We tried are darnedest to convince the city why it would be important for WCCA TV to be distributed county wide and why it is so important to fund WCCA's COMMUNITY VISION News and other WCCA presented news and information programming. Today, although we recieve less than level funding compared to past decades of franchise support, thanks to community initiatives and dedicated coalition made up of staff and volunteers WCCA is distributed beyond Worcester.

This is serving a purpose that is exactly in tune with our public access mission, the intent of congressional law in support of public access cable franchising, and one that studies have shown in other areas, is well needed.

Today, our channel 13's Community Vision News, along with a number of other ethnic community news productions presented in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Albanian, to name a few, in additional ot WCCA's community electronic bulletin board, provide our viewers with the best and most diverse and comprehensive coverage of local news and events.

The WCCA TV 13 and public access everywhere, plays an important role, in our media ecosystem that is not served anywhere else.Nowhere else do you find the level of encouragement and incentive for everyone to participate in sharing news, heritage, information, and fresh ideas. WCCA TV 13 is a charitable organization, and is an anchor institution that uniquely provides a comprehensive services to the general population with access to the needed media tools, the channels of distribution and the professional staff facilitation and educational component available to the general public, in one location, and making such access affordable.

No matter what your political point of view or opinion is you can participate int eh publci access process. Think about that. Look at the boundless diversity that exist on our channel activity, our website, or the daily activities going on at WCCA's studios on Main Street, and then ask yourself why not do more to support TV 13 public access programming.

The funding provided by cable franchises is not enough to support WCCA activities or the entire scope of it's mission, that is why we need your continued help and support. Consider making a financial or in-kind contribution to support all our fine programming and meet the challenges to maintain the local free flow of news and information. You can help keep this window into Worcester open to the world.
Feel free to contact me to see how you can help. 508-755-1880 ext. 11
Learn Create Connect WCCA TV 13, "The People's Channel"

Thank you for helping us build Worcester's community and helping to make our city a better place to live.
Mauro

Watch this following video link and you may agree why I think it is pretty clear that there are some legislators in Washington that are heavily lobbied to cut what is truly TV BY FOR and OFF THE PEOPLE, aka PUBLIC ACCESS/Community Media Television stations out. Here is the link : Rep. Serrano to Genachowski: What About Fair & Equal Treatment of PEG Access Channels?

We applaud Representative Serrono's words on this subject. The FCC has taken over a year, and has still failed to make adequate assurances to guarantee the protection of Public Access is very suspicious to say the least. It raises many questions. There is no question, after decades of public access experiences in over 1,500 cities and towns across the USA, that PUBLIC ACCESS serves as an important and valuable anchor institution in a community. So there can only be limited answers to why the FCC or congress has not yet mandated improved guaranteed assurances to protect Public Access centers such as WCCA TV.

PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION is a place where the PEOPLE, rather than a cable or phone company or the government, are in control of disseminating free speech, educational material , views and opinions, a free flow of information, a diverse and shared view of the world. We must all recognize that perhaps this is why some in power perceive this as some sort of threat and perhaps why some cable and phone companies and, in some cases, even political entities, and some in government, can't stand the existence of a public forum on television.

I am aware of many who feel that if our political leaders and municipal and state authorities you can not appreciate the value of the product of a public access station , you have no business working in a democratic government or claiming to build or care about community or individual rights or government transparency.

Transparency is not just about what government allows the people to see it is also about maintaining open forums for the people to express their point of view. Stations such as WCCA make that possible, without government intervention. That is not a threat to our community but a healthy and nurturing thing.

When government stalls on moving to protect assurances to protect PUBLIC ACCESS television, where companies lobby or make attempts to either trivialize or bury PUBLIC ACCESS channels in a maze of the digital cosmos, where there are moves to diminish funding and capital that are intended to support Public Access, it may be argued that those are actions are against us, the people, against our ability to be self empowered, against our gaining opportunity to improve our lives, against our basic freedom and civil liberties, against true local participation.

Take note of who those are and do not tolerate any threats to PUBLIC ACCESS Television.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Sorry for the rant.

High Court sustains must carry rules
This is good for local media all around.

According to this AP article as read on TVNewsCheck,
The justices rejected an appeal from Cablevision Systems Corp. lobbying to ride of the rule. The court upheld a federal "must carry" law, enacted in 1992. The Supreme Court validates a longstanding assertion that "must-carry rules protect the public's access to niche broadcast programming, including foreign language, religious and independent TV stations." quote from NAB EVP Dennis Wharton

Impressive to say the least!

Yes, WCCA TV 13 is awesome.

I learned that we have nearly 1,400 video works archived in the last five months.

THE LAST FIVE MONTHS !!!!!

The 1,400 video works does not represent everything produced and or presented on WCCA channel 13, because not everything gets archived. For example the producers of some shows give us only a sampling, one or two show episodes to archive, satellite feeds we do not archive, etc, what ever reason . The point is WCCA TV is a station that continues to experience growth in community utilization, programming, and all the rest of it. We are not talking about simple meeting coverage, or satellite feeds, or cameras fixed on traffic, either, yes we do produce some of that, but we are talking about bona fide video productions that we have on archive.

This is an impressive amount of work. Paramount in central Mass, and paramount in terms of television coverage of local Worcester interest that is simply unmatched in the comercial market or any where else for that matter. There is more. . .

ACOMMUNITYTV.ORG
may be the only national organization that advocates for PEG that made
our filing by the deadline, that I am aware of. WCCA TV 13 and numerous public access facilities also filed comments responding to the FCC Future of Digital Media Inquiry. With 400 potential channels going dark in six states by 2012, voicing Public Access position is important.

The American Community Television groups comments present an excellent case on behalf of PEG channels by outlining the unique value or Public Access as well as presenting the frustrating political challenges PEG has continually faced throughout the years, particularly and most recently, the damaging and devastating impact caused by the switch from local to State franchising, in some states, has had on PEG channels.

Read the attached PDF taking on the FCC's request for comments concerning: "Question 27....

Countering the terrible statewide legislation concerning cable franchise. SF is breaking refreshing ground in SUPPORT of it's public access channels and public broadband space.

"San Francisco's Public Broadband Space

In light of the recent courts ruling concerning the FCC's move to protect net neutrality, in would make more sense that congress would rush to pass the Community Access Preservation Act (HR 3745 or CAP Act). The act is not perfect, and needs much stronger language to protect non-profit public access centers ( such as WCCA TV channel 13) by guaranteeing funding and capital assurances. CAP is not perfect, however it is a good first step, and may go a long way toward remediating so much of the damage that was done in statewide/state issued franchising laws that have passed since 2005.

The good folks at American Community Television says that the CAP Act "...guarantees placement on the basic tier of service for PEG. It guarantees that PEG channels will be delivered to subscribers with the same quality and the same functionality as local commercial channels. It removes the distinction between operating and capital when it comes to PEG support fees and returns PEG support to previous levels or what the state provides, whichever is greater."

This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, it is a COMMUNITY issue.