ACM

No quorum, no meeting last night. The meeting may be rescheduled for July 22, 2008 stay tuned for more fun and frolics. I hope you can join us.

There was no meeting but we did converse while waiting for no show members.

One topic of conversation centered around the City Manager's request of his Cable Advisory committee to recommend how he should allocate the capital grant portion of the cable franchise license to the PEG channels ( 11, 12 and WCCA TV 13).

The conversation got a little testy after WCCA asked why the process of deciding what to recommend to is taking so long, when between the school and city accounts there appears to be a remaining balance exceeding $1.8 million dollars of unencumbered un-used cable franchise money ( as of June 2008). We believe that amount may be more than enough to satisfy the capital needs of all three PEG channels plus finance the attorney for the next renewal .The question seemed to be received with much resentment from the city's director of the government channel, who is also the head of the city's cable division, recording secretary for the cable advisory committee and city administration's liaison to the committee , who also seems to have a lot of clout with the group ( we're not sure how that is not a conflict of interest, but we already fought and lost that one ). The meeting quickly ended, but not before the Committee Chair said he would look into the Government and WPS channel account through the city auditor's department. The representatives from the WPS did not seem to know about the over $ 600,000 balance they had, which I found interesting.

Remember though, this wasn't an official meeting, there was no quorum.

For the last couple of months while we attended the one other cable advisory meeting held, we are told that the capital grant has to be split between the three PEG channels, and we were left with the impression that it was unlikely WCCA's would receive the full amount of capital it needs to meet current equipment needs. In addition we were led to understand that the city may take funds, of the top, to pay for an attorney for the next renewal. Last night,the government channel, the school channel, and WCCA TV13, all informed the committee members in attendance of what each respective channel's equipment capital needs were. WCCA needs to have nearly every single piece of equipment replaced with digital technology. All three PEG channels, combined, need about a bit less than about $ 700,000 Capital funds for the next five years. Not really far from the level capital funds received in 1997.

We hope to avoid any injustice in the process. In the recent past, WCCA has contributed surveys, comprehensive assessments, focus group results, a survey produced by Nancy Richard a member of the Alliance for Community Media, which indicated best practices, franchise rev's, PEG staff assignments, throughout the nation , with intention to help the city's cable and telecommunication strategy. We also pointed to the folks who pioneered this industry and set the standard, to the best of public access centers, and municipal franchise best practices, including third party consulting reports and all the rest of it. More importantly hundreds of people wrote, sent letters, editorials, petitioned, or came to public hearings in support of WCCA, but none of it appears to be enough as far as we can tell ( contrary to the purpose of an ascertainment process). We couldn't find much of it included in the Cable Advisory ascertainment report by the way either.

This however, still raises concerns. TV is the most important medium on the face of the earth.For the past 22 years WCCA, it's staff and volunteers, has and continues to be dedicated to serving the people of this city, as we provide a cutting edge technological resource to empower citizens, so everyone can share in the free flow of information at level unmatched on TV or anywhere else. Public Access is and should be one of the center pieces of municipal telecommunication and cable strategic plans.

When I hear stories of how some cities go out of their way to encourage and support their public access centers, to ensure and be inclusive of Public Access, accepting and fighting to secure the added value and vital role Public Access plays in their community, how do you think it makes us feel in the midst of our experience of Worcester's cable franchise process?

Look through this website, anything you need to know about public access can be found here or through various links throughout it's content.This is not reinventing the wheel.

The city council passed a motion asking the city manager to sign a contract with WCCA by the end of June. Perhaps by the next August Council meeting we have more news to share.

link

Cable Franchising Bills No Help To Consumers: Survey
66% Of Respondents Say Cable Rates Are Up Despite Competition
by Linda Haugsted
Multichannel News
07/07/08

State cable franchising bills have not led to lower cable rates, and support for
public access channels has eroded in those states with such schemes, according to a
survey conducted by the Alliance for Community Media and the National Association of
Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

The survey, which included 140 public access center officials from 18 states where
cable is no longer locally regulated, showed that 66% of the respondents said basic
cable rates have increased in their communities, even after the arrival of
competition.

In testimony in support of many of these bills, supporters asserted that the quick
arrival of competition, enabled by such bills, would lower consumer rates. Only 1%
of survey respondents said rates decreased after the bills were passed.

Competitors have taken advantage of the new regulatory regime: 68% of respondents
said competitors, including AT&T and Verizon, have applied for state franchises.
However, incumbents are taking advantage of the regulatory change, too. Fifty-two
percent of respondents said legacy operators have applied to be regulated by the
state.

The ACM is most interested in the impact to its members, and the rest of the survey
had to do with the current state of financial and other support for local cable
production. Twenty percent of the respondents, from communities in California,
Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and
Wisconsin said their funding had decreased since the passage of state regulatory
bills.

Twenty-six percent of those polled said they've lost free cable service to
libraries, school and other public buildings; and 41% said they've lost or had a
reduction in benefits for the operation of local institutional networks.

The ACM said it would use the survey information to seek legislative or regulatory
action that will preserve localism provided by PEG channels.

~~~

Rob McCausland
Director of Information & Organizing Services
Alliance for Community Media
202-393-2650

Cable Competition? Note to city: Be careful what you wish for.

Mike from MNN writes: According to our math, Verizon jacked their cable TV rates 7.5% last year and they now project another 11.5 rate increase this year.
Apparently "Competition = Higher Prices". Hopefully the FCC and those folks in Congress will take note . . .

Read more here
also this By Mike Robuck CedMagazine.com .

Do you think, that it when comes to comparing cable and phone companies, they really are, pretty much, all the same? Rates continue to go up and up. So much for competition. It seems that rate controls, and franchise mandates and regulations are the only way to go. Tell congress to protect local franchises and especially provisions to support Public access.

PUBLIC ACTION NEEDED!
EMAIL/CALL CONGRESS TO STOP FCC!
(FCC DN MB 05-311)
The Alliance for Community Media has set up a site to make it easy for you, your friends, relatives and supporters to write your Congressional delegation. Congress needs to know that the FCC is on the verge of taking Congressional power as they rewrite cable law. It is important for Congress to know that their constituents are active in community media and that you are ready to fight.

The rules of this process are written against your interests. You are not allowed to call or write the FCC right now, but your Congress-members can.

Being written out of the law by the FCC:

· Support for Public, Education and Government Access Channels: GONE!
· Channel capacity for Public, Education and Government Access Channels from new providers. GONE!
· Your city's right to reasonable payment by the telephone and cable companies who make billions of dollars using public land. GONE!
· Your city's public safety and educational communication systems. GONE!
The rules will be rewritten Wednesday. Only your Congress-members can stop the FCC now. Tell them to support your community. Tell them to forward your concerns to the FCC NOW!

For easy email message, click here.

Please circulate this call to action far and wide.