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Comcast cable franchise agreement moves forward

Baltimore Sun 11/18/04

A 12-year cable television franchise agreement with Comcast was voted out of committee yesterday [Nov 18, 2004] in the City Council and placed on its second-reader agenda to be given a preliminary vote on Monday [Nov 22 after 5pm].

Council members quizzed administration officials about amendments to bill 04-1504 that the Board of Estimates added last week before approving the deal with Comcast. They include increasing money for cable access programming, guaranteeing a portion for public programming and establishing a process to create a nonprofit organization to oversee public access shows.

Acting as a committee of the whole, the 19-member council - with five absent and one abstaining - agreed to move the measure. On Monday [Nov. 22], the council is expected to advance the legislation toward final consideration at its Nov. 29 meeting.

Source: Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Grassroots Media Efforts

In addition to generating over seventy e-mails to the City Council and the mass media, and phone calls to elected officials, Baltimore Grassroots Media (BGM) prompted the League of Womens Voters to send a letter to the City Council. The letter urged the City Council to vote down the contract and seek amendments that would provide dedicated operational funding for Public Access TV.

BGM assisted the Baltimore Sun in developing a front page story, published November 17, 2004. The story exposed a memo from the Mayor's Cable Advisory Comission, which advised the City Council against approving the franchise agreement. The memo, written for presentation at a critical October 13 public hearing, appeared to have been supressed at the request of the Mayor's office, to the consternation of Council Members.

BGM also held a press conference on November 17. They outlined the general rational for why well-funded Public Access TV as being a benefit to the community and free speech. Their press release outlined specific modifications to the Comcast contract, including a shortening the 12-year contract period, a dedicated annual budget for operations, and citing the fact the in 2001, the current City Council passed a resolution stating that Public Access TV needed at least $400,000/year to operate. The District of Columbia Public Access TV receives over $1 million/year, has a modern studio, full-time staff salaries of about $500,000, not including benefits.

BGM has produced a package of detailed amendment proposals, a proposed budget and business plan for consideraton by the City Council. One key concern is that the administration of Public Access TV be carried out in a democratic way. The Mayor amended the contract, just prior to the November 18 Council vote, to include a mayor-appointed oversight body for Public Access TV.

Finally, some members of BGM are investigating legal avenues. Evidence suggests that the contract was negotiated in bad faith with respect to open government and the public interest. The City is also vulnerable to a variety of technical matters.

Robust Public Access TV Still Has a Chance

Despite the committee vote on November 18, the final decision has yet to be made by the City Council. This occurs by a process of two votes on November 22, and November 29, 2004.

Displays of public support are a key ingredient in the on-going campaign. According to the Sun, the Mayor is on record claiming, "public access was not a critical need being demanded by city neighborhoods and that Baltimore Grassroots Media was made up of people who do not have cable or live in the city." This is an affront to the true grassroots nature of BGM. Your voice needs to be heard if only to prove the Mayor wrong.

If you live in the City, contact the Mayor. You might ask that he request a correction by the Sun Paper regarding their characterization of his statement about BGM above.

(410) 396-3835
Fax (410) 576-9425
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