Source
Automatically imported from: http://commons.somewhere.com:80/rre/1995/Alliance.for.Community.M.html
Content
This web service brought to you by Somewhere.Com, LLC.
Alliance for Community Media
```
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 09:53:31 -0500
From: AllianceCM@aol.com
To: Multiple recipients of list
Here's a copy of the lobbying materials the Alliance for Community Media National Office has developed to advance our issues with key members of the 104th Congress.
For more information, contact government relations coordinator Jeff Hops at (202) 393-2650.
---
ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA
The Alliance for Community Media is committed to assuring everyone's access to electronic media. The Alliance accomplishes this by creating public education, advancing a positive legislative and regulatory environment, building coalitions, and supporting local organizing.
A nonprofit, national membership organization founded in 1976, the Alliance represents the interests of over 950 public, educational and governmental ("PEG") access organizations throughout the country. It also represents the interests of local religious, community, charitable and other groups in the country who utilize PEG access centers and facilities to speak to their memberships and their larger communities. Organizational and individual dues-paying members total over 1,300.
Churches, public schools, Little Leagues, YMCAs, PTAs, Seniors groups, and American Legion chapters, to name but a few, all utilize the low-cost services of PEG centers to participate in an ever-growing "electronic town hall." Through these centers, people from all walks of life learn to communicate using the tools of television. The programs they make are seen by cable subscribers in their community.
The Alliance for Community Media provides critical support services for community television centers and for the primarily volunteer staff that keep these outposts of electronic democracy in operation. The Alliance's activities in providing technical assistance, political advocacy, and opportunities to share expertise promote the broader goals of supporting our nation's communities and families, and promoting effective communication through community uses of media.
The Alliance:
* Provides technical assistance in the development and operation of PEG access channels and community TV organizations, primarily through its annual international conference and trade show (average attendance of 700 to 1,000), about ten regional conferences per year, the bi- monthly newsletter The Medium, and various manuals;* Promotes political, regulatory and industry support for PEG access, primarily through government relations contract services, public and press relations, the Alliance Public Policy Network and Council, fax broadcast services, and internet communication services;* Facilitates networking and education among people and organizations involved with community media, primarily through its national and regional conventions, various special interest groups (such as for trainers, volunteer producers, and government access centers), and directories (such as its community media Yellow Pages and its 960-listing Community Media Resource Directory);* Supports community television advocates with materials and information on community programming and national policy issues, primarily through its bi-monthly journal Community Media Review (CMR); and* Monitors developments in telecommunications applications and advocates for the public's access to emerging media systems.
The Alliance's public policy program is dedicated to preserving and promoting legislation and regulation which supports PEG access and programming. In the 104th Congress, the Alliance will be working closely with religious, charitable and community organizations to protect the current cable access environment; to ensure that new federal legislation respects local property rights to public rights of way and eliminates special privileges or fee waivers to any class of companies which develop new telecommunications technologies, such as television by wire; and to ensure that the emerging National Information Infrastructure provides space which will allow America's rich collection of local and community organizations to flourish into the 21st century.
---
QUICK FACTS ON PUBLIC ACCESS LEGISLATION
* Public, Educational, and Governmental ("PEG") Access television channels on cable TV serve a wide range of community organizations, including churches, synagogues, Lions and Rotary Clubs, local political party organizations, high schools and colleges.* PEG access centers exist because local franchise authorities often provide for capacity, services, facilities, and equipment as partial compensation for the cable companies' use of state and local rights-of-way.* PEG access is threatened because new transmission technologies, such as video dialtone ("VDT") and Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS"), bypass local franchise authorities entirely. The FCC does not require these competitors to cable to provide PEG access.* Through PEG access centers, thousands of community groups and over one million individuals produce more than 20,000 hours of new local programming each week -- more than all programs produced by NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and PBS combined.* In the 103rd Congress, the Alliance worked for legislation to allow state and local governments to exercise control over alternative ways of transmitting television signals, and to require PEG access as a way of compensating cities and towns for use of public rights of way.* S. 2195, introduced by Senator Inouye (D-HI), would have allowed a capacity reservation of up to twenty percent on telecommunications networks generally, in compensation for use of public rights of way. Hearings were held on this bill last summer in connection with the larger telecommunications reform effort. Portions of this bill were included in an initial draft of S. 1822.* However, as reported by the Senate Commerce Committee, S. 1822 reduced the ceiling on the reserved capacity to five percent, and eliminated state, local, and tribal governmental access to this reserved capacity.* Costs imposed on video systems to open up additional public access channel capacity are virtually non-existent -- approximately $783 annually per channel.1 For many cable systems, the incremental costs per subscriber are below one penny per month.* The Alliance proposes that telecommunications legislation in this Congress specify that all providers of video programming provide capacity for PEG access video programming, and services, facilities, and equipment for production of programs, when appropriate franchise authorities require it.* State, local and tribal governments would have access to the reserved capacity for purposes of transmitting video programming. Schools, libraries, and public television stations would also be eligible to make use of the reserved capacity.* The Alliance endorses legislation which will assure the future of PEG access in a competitive telecommunications marketplace. Such access is easily affordable by a profitable industry.
---
TELECOMMUNICATIONS LEGISLATIVE GOALS
The Alliance for Community Media endorses telecommunications reforms which would:
PROTECT FAIR COMPETITION.
Competition promotes efficiency and produces more varied choices for consumers. Moreover, converging communications technologies have blurred many of the distinctions which once existed between types of telecommunications services, and between the entities that provide them. Data, voice, and video are now all being transmitted over telephone lines, through the airwaves, via coaxial cable, and on fiber-optic networks. Telephone companies are providing video services, cable operators are providing telephone services, electric companies are providing electronic databases, and so on. It is essential for telecommunications reform legislation to recognize that all like services must be regulated in a consistent manner, regardless of actual or constructive ownership.
Specifically, all providers of television-by-wire should obtain franchises from the states and/or cities in which they do business, regardless of whether the service provider calls itself a cable operator, a telephone company, an electric company, an electronic publisher, or some other entity.
REQUIRE FAIR COMPENSATION FOR USE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY.
The Alliance believes that the streets, highways and roads of the nation are the property of the residents of local communities. City, state and county governments act as trustees of these assets for their residents and are entitled to charge fees for their use. Local authorities should have the authority to offer leases or easements for fair market value, where appropriate.
Telecommunications legislation should recognize the right of local and state franchising authorities, including state Public Utilities Commissions, to impose fees, taxes, or rents for use of public rights of way. The legislation should make clear that in-kind payments of PEG access (valued on an incremental-cost basis) are an appropriate payment for such rights. The equipment, services and facilities necessary to utilize PEG access effectively should also be considered an appropriate part of a service-provider's compensation package to the local government.
PERMIT LOCAL DETERMINATION OF HOW COMMUNITIES ARE TO BE SERVED.
As the federal government continues to consider governmental responsibilities that can be successfully devolved to state and local governments, PEG access provides an exemplary model of how services essential to the public welfare can be provided without any taxpayer expense or taxpayer involvement. Decisions about PEG access are made entirely at the local level, as a private matter between a local franchising authority and the cable system operator. The Alliance believes that this simple and effective regulatory model should be applied to all entities providing direct video services, regardless of federal regulatory status. Devolving decisions and control of PEG access to states and local governments will ensure that programming created for PEG access reflects local interests and meets local needs.
Telecommunications reform language should expressly state that all video providers are subject to the jurisdiction of local franchising authorities, and that these authorities are authorized to impose such fees, rents, taxes, or other conditions as may be appropriate for "public necessity and convenience."
PROVIDE TRUE UNIVERSAL SERVICE. Universal service which guarantees every American the ability to connect to a telecommunications line is extremely important. But physical connection to a network by itself is not enough. True "universal service" recognizes that, in an age of increasing interactivity, Americans have the right to create and transmit information, not just passively receive programming. Our telecommunications policy must recognize that local groups -- churches, charities, YMCAs, Little Leagues, secondary schools, and civic organizations -- have a right to be heard.
The telecommunications reform bill must create a mechanism which will provide, not only channel capacity, but the equipment, services and facilities which permit individuals and community groups to use that capacity. Although the Alliance prefers a mandate, it will support the concept of allowing local or state franchise authorities to make the decision to request PEG access capacity, equipment, services and facilities from franchisees.
PROMOTE COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSE. PEG access programming supporting adult education promotes a better trained work force and higher levels of economic productivity. PEG access can turn all Americans into "information 'haves."
The Alliance supports legislation which ensures that educational and community institutions are physically and financially able to regularly make video contacts with their members, their students, and their larger communities.
---
EXCERPTS FROM REP. GINGRICH ADDRESS AT ALLIANCE CONFERENCE
Alliance for Community Media/NFLCP 1990 Convention and Trade Show
Keynote Address Excerpt: Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
"...you are literally at the cutting edge of history, that you are creating the opportunity, you are the pioneers as surely as the Wright Brothers or Edison, you are creating the opportunities, not just in politics, but across the entire spectrum of the human experience, for people to communicate, to collaborate and talk with themselves, to have a level of business, maybe not quite as sophisticated as Monday Night Football, maybe not quite as extraordinary as the best Olympic coverage, but in level of humanness that is not attainable by a purely commercial, centrally-controlled system, and a level of openness that is not obtainable by a bureaucratically dominated public system.
"In that sense, we are in this together, because it's going to take all of our creativity to make the 21st century work. We live in a planet which needs more creativity, more interaction, more opportunity for this kind of dialogue. In that sense, I think you are at the cutting edge."
For a complete transcipt of Rep. Gingrich's remarks, contact the Alliance for Community Media at (202) 393- 2650 or AllianceCM @ aol.com.
---
ALLIANCE PUBLIC POLICY EFFORTS
This information, on behalf of all PEG access, is made possible by the far-sighted and committed members of the Alliance Public Policy Council, Alliance Public Policy Network, and individual donors. See the January/February issue of CMR for a list of the members as of the end of December 1994. Public Policy Council members ($2,500) receive detailed legislative and litigative information, Public Policy Network members ($500) receive bi-weekly fax broadcast "Public Policy Updates," Alliance donors of $100 or more receive an Alliance lapel pin -- and all receive the satisfaction of knowing that they have done their part to help preserve and advance PEG access.
---
National Office Alliance for Community Media 666 11th Street, NW, Suite 806 Washington, DC 20001-4542
Voice: (202) 393-2650 Fax: (202) 393-2653 E-mail: AllianceCM @ aol.com
"Ensuring everyone's access to electronic media since 1976."
Barry Forbes, Executive Director
"Do what's right. Do it right. Do it right now."
--- ```
This web service brought to you by Somewhere.Com, LLC.