HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-AOC-2024-06-04 1
MINUTES (as approved July 2, 2024)
Access Oversight Committee (AOC)
Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 5 PM
The AOC met at PEGASYS, 519 West State Street, Ithaca, NY
The public was invited to attend by ZOOM Conferencing
Present: chair Rich DePaolo, secretary Wayles Browne, vice chair Wies van Leuken,
member Paul Smith, City of Ithaca Common Council liaison Margherita Fabrizio; Access
Coordinator Alex Wiers; via Zoom: Lauren Kelly (Director of Government Affairs –
Fingerlakes Region, Charter Communications), Sean Ryan (Charter).
01. Call to Order DePaolo 5:04.
02. Tour of PEGASYS facilities: for the sake of Zoom attendees, postponed till end of
meeting.
03. Agenda Additions and/or Deletions: 02 removed.
04. Public Comments: none.
05. Comments by AOC members: none.
06. Approval of Minutes of the May 7, 2024 Meeting. DePaolo: we don't need to attach
the annual report or the quotes. Moved by van Leuken, seconded by Fabrizio, approved
5-0 without change.
07. Access Studio Coordinator Report: attached. DePaolo: we can't finalize the Policies
& Procedures Manual until we hear from Charter about the possible use of Channel 16
(Educational).
a. 2024 Budget Equipment Purchases - Update. See attached.
b. Review Ithaca Annual Report, April 30, 2024. DePaolo to Kelly: I e-mailed some
questions about this annual report. Kelly: still trying to confirm sources of expenses
(what's Charter, what's from the 15 cents per subscriber in the municipalities). DePaolo
suggests: personnel comes from municipalities, other expenses are borne by Charter.
Kelly: I believe so. Van Leuken asks: does "Property Tax" refer to the whole complex of
buildings? Kelly: will figure out.
AOC also discussed the capital fund balance for 2024 and 2025.
08. Member Reports
a. Municipal Approvals for 2025 Budget - Report. Fabrizio: the City of Ithaca is just
about to approve it.
b. Common Council meetings on Government Channel 15 - Report. DePaolo: at the
last meeting we asked if the YouTube feed from the City of Ithaca could be simulcast
without paying anyone to do it. Kelly: none of us know how. Ask at City Hall or Town
Hall; we give you the green light to broadcast such meetings. Fabrizio asks if Wiers has
contacted Alan Karasin (City's Acting Dir. of Public Information and Acting City Clerk).
Wiers has not yet. DePaolo is willing to go together with Wiers to City Hall to ask. Kelly:
Wiers shouldn't leave at a time when he's scheduled for production. DePaolo: will
coordinate with Wiers's schedule.
2
c. Surplus equipment list #2 - Report. Van Leuken: on the list (List 2, April 17), change
two items "donate" to "recycle". All concur. She will e-mail an updated list to Wiers.
d. Outreach Committee - Report. In the project covering the history of PEGASYS, van
Leuken has done 5 interviews and has 2 more tomorrow; she hopes to cover everyone
who remembers the early days and is still alive. Dubbing from old media: she has
discussed this with Wiers. Tom Stern is working on a video on PEG history for the 50th
anniversary. I'll see the City Clerk about locating old documents. I've compiled a
timeline.
Smith asks about a document dated 13 Feb. 1977 . It seems to be the oldest mention of
Channel 13, so 2027 will be the 50th anniversary.
e. PEGASYS Operations. Van Leuken: let's keep a hard copy of the Manual in the
studio once it's approved.
Van Leuken: how many iNet connections (coax cable feeds from buildings to the studio)
are still functional (even if not used)?
Smith: Likely no one knows all the pieces of the puzzle. Once there was a switch
triggered by a touch-tone phone; nobody knows if there still is. There may be
receptacles in walls but probably no connection to them. No drawing or diagram is
known.
Van Leuken: doesn't remember when it was last used —maybe from Southside
Community Center.
DePaolo: there must have been a map, but who knows where it is? We can ask
Charter.
f. PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual. DePaolo: still has questions about
possible requests to use channel 16. Ithaca College uses it; if they couldn't help others
to use it, this is a question for Charter. We need this answered before finalizing the
Manual. Could Charter help with such a request? Kelly: Nothing new on this.
DePaolo: cites the New York State Code Section 895.4 - Minimum standards for public,
educational and governmental (peg) access [attached below].
Kelly: We're really not supposed to playback on the government access channel.
DePaolo: But this is about educational access. I.C. doesn't own the channel; requests
from other users are a hypothetical but we should have answers ready.
Smith asks: can we freeze 1 version of the Manual? Van Leuken: we're still debating
suggestions from Charter staff, but in the meantime we can amend the existing Manual
so as to include the VHS/SVHS dubbing guidelines.
A. Guidelines for use of VHS Dubbing Station - Resolution.
Resolution #
Access Oversight Committee (AOC)
June 4, 2024
Adding VHS/S-VHS Dubbing Guidelines to the PEGASYS Policies & Procedures
Manual of February 6, 2024
WHEREAS, the current Policies and Procedures Manual for the PEGASYS Community
Media Center (“PEGASYS”) was approved by the Access Oversight Committee (“AOC”)
on February 6, 2024 (“the Manual"); and
WHEREAS, the AOC wishes to add the following guidelines to the Manual for dubbing
VHS/S-VHS tapes at PEGASYS:
3
1. at Section 7, "Miscellaneous", add Section "7.5 Dubbing VHS/S-VHS Tapes
PEGASYS has equipment available for producers to digitize programs they originally made
in VHS or S-VHS format. Producers must have the intention to cablecast these programs
on Channel 13 or to make them available for the PEGASYS archive.
Dubbing takes place in real time. Producers should bring a portable hard drive or a blank
DVD to transfer the digitized files from the PEGASYS computer."; and
2. at Section 8, "Appendix", add as Section 8.11 the VHS/S-VHS Dubbing Reservation
Form attached to this resolution; and now therefore be it
RESOLVED that the AOC approves the above listed amendments to the February 6, 2024
PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual; and be it further
RESOLVED, that this amendment will go into effect immediately.
Moved by van Leuken, seconded by Browne. Adopted 5 -0.
PEGASYS Community Media Center, 612 W Green Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: 607-272-7272, Email: PEG.NYIthaca@charter.com
VHS/S-VHS Dubbing Reservation
Date: ________________________
Program Title: ____________________________________________________
Producer's Name: _________________________________________________
Phone #: ______________ Cell #: _____________ Email:________________
This reservation is for Day/Date: _____________________________________
Start Time: ____________________ End Time: ______________________
I will be in the studio for the full play of the VHS tape ______________________
I will be away for part of the time while the VHS tape is dubbed ______________
4
_________________________________________________________________
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Approved by: _____________________________________________________
Date Processed: __________________________________________________
B. Review of Draft Manual - Resolution. For next meeting.
09. Old Business
a. Streaming Channel 13. See 08b.
10. New Business: none.
11. Next meeting: July 2, 2024.
12. Adjournment 6:07
Authority: City of Ithaca code Chapter 18, "Cable Access Oversight Committee". Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Ithaca 11-5-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-17. Available at https://ecode360.com/8386207.
Page on the City website: https://www.cityofithaca.org/369/Cable-Access-Oversight-Committee
Contact information for AOC members:
City of Ithaca: Wayles Browne, secretary <ewb2@cornell.edu>.
City of Ithaca: Common Council liaison 2024- Margaret (Margherita) Fabrizio, mfabrizio@cityofithaca.org.
City of Ithaca: Paul Smith <smithcommapaul@hotmail.com>.
Town of Ithaca: Rich DePaolo, chair <RDePaolo@town.ithaca.ny.us>.
Village of Cayuga Heights: Wies van Leuken, vice chair <pmv4@cornell.edu>.
Web site for the PEGASYS Community Media Center studio, with program schedules:
https://pegasys.webstarts.com/index.html or https://pegasys.yourwebsitespace.com/
studio location: 612 West Green Street, Ithaca, New York
mailing address: 519 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
5
6
7
PEGASYS cast-off equipment “LIST 2”, 2024-04-17
item model quantity category conditio
n
comments recommendation
JBL speakers J2050 2 audio good analog
speakers
keep for PEGASYS
Sony video monitor PVM-8020 6 video good standard
definition
donate
JVC 10” monitor TM-A101G 2 video fair standard
definition
recycle
Dell computer monitor 1908FPt 3 video good keep for PEGASYS
ViewSonic LCD monitor VS11618 1 video good donate
Sony LCD monitor LMD01410 1 video good keep for PEGASYS
Videotek ADA VDA-16 6 playback good distribution
amplifiers
recycle
Tascam DVD player DV-D6500 1 video fair keep for PEGASYS
JVC VHS/Mini-DVD
player
HR-DVS3U 1 video fair keep for PEGASYS
Magnavox DVD recorder ZC350MS8 1 video good keep for PEGASYS
JVC S-VHS recorder HR-S3600U 1 video good keep for PEGASYS
LG video monitor L1942TT 1 video good keep for PEGASYS
Logitech speakers S-0152A1 2 audio good keep for PEGASYS
Altec desk speakers ACS90 2 audio good keep for PEGASYS
8
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 16 § 895.4
Section 895.4 - Minimum standards for public, educational and governmental (peg) access
(a) Definitions. (1) The term public access channel means a channel designated for noncommercial use
by the public on a first-come, first-served, nondiscriminatory basis.
(2) The term educational access channel means a channel designated for noncommercial use by school
districts and not-for-profit educational institutions chartered or licensed by the New York State Education
Department or Board of Regents.
(3) The term government access channel means a channel designated for noncommercial use by
municipal, county and State government, or agencies thereof.
(4) The term public, educational, or governmental (PEG) access facilities means: (i) channel capacity
designated for noncommercial public, educational or governmental use; and
(ii) facilities and equipment for the noncommercial use of such channel capacity.
(5) The term local use means use by residents of the State of New York including school districts and not-
for-profit educational institutions and municipal, county and State governments, or agencies thereof.
(6) The term access cablecast day means a day or part thereof during which public, educational or
governmental access facilities are available for PEG use.
(b) Designation of channels. Every cable television franchisee shall designate channel capacity for PEG
access as follows:
(1) The franchisee of a cable television system with a channel capacity of 36 or more channels shall
designate (i) at least one full-time activated channel for public access use; (ii) at least one full-time
activated channel for educational and governmental use; and (iii) one additional full -time activated
channel for educational/governmental use whenever the first channel so designated shall have been used
for such educational and governmental programming on the average of at least 12 hours per day during
any 90-day period; provided, however, that the calculation of such average shall not include any day
when the unavailability of PEG access facilities precludes achieving such programming level. In the event
that two channels for educational and governmental use are required by this subdivision, one channel
shall be designated the educational access channel and one channel shall be designated the governmental
access channel; provided, however, that either channel may be used for either purpose if necessary to
satisfy the demand for channel time.
(2) The franchisee of a cable television system with a channel capacity less than 36 channels shall
designate at least one full-time activated channel for public, educational and governmental use.
(c) Administration and use. The use of the channel capacity for PEG access shall be administered as
follows:
(1) The public access channel shall be operated and administered by the entity designated by the
municipality or, until such designation is made, by the cable television franchisee; provided, however,
that the municipality may designate such entity at any time throughout the term of a franchise. [FN1]
(2) The educational and governmental access channel shall be operated and administered by a committee
or a commission appointed by local government and shall include appropriate representation of local
school districts within the service area of the cable television system and may include for purposes of
9
coordination an employee or representative of the cable television franchisee. [FN2]
(3) The entity responsible for administering and operating the public access channel shall provide notice
to the general public of the opportunity to use such channel which notice shall include:
(i) periodic messages transmitted on such channel; and
(ii) written notice to subscribers at least annually. Notices shall include the name, address and telephone
number of the entity to be contacted for use of the channel. All PEG access programming shall be
identified as such.
(4) Channel time shall be scheduled on the public access channel by the entity responsible for the
administration thereof on a first-come, first-served, nondiscriminatory basis.
(5) Local use of educational and governmental access channels shall have preferred status in the event of
competing requests for channel time. Priority may be afforded to local governments within the service
area of the system.
(6) Channel time for PEG access programming shall be without charge to the user.
(7) The designation of PEG access facilities shall include the provision by the cable television franchisee
of the technical ability to play back prerecorded programming and to transmit programming information
consistent with the designated uses of PEG access channels.
(8) The cable television franchisee shall not exercise any editorial control over any public, educational or
governmental use of channel capacity designated for PEG purposes provided, however, that this
paragraph shall not be applied to prevent a cable television company from taking such measures as may
be authorized by Federal or State law to prohibit obscenity or other content unprotected by the First
Amendment of the United States Constitution.
(9) A municipality shall not exercise any editorial control over any use by the public of a public access
channel except as may be permitted by law.
(10) The entity responsible for the administration of a public access channel shall maintain a record of the
use of such channel which shall include the names and addresses of all persons using or requesting the use
of any such channel and which record shall be available for public inspection for a minimum of two
years.
(11) Channels designated for PEG use shall be included in the lowest level of service offered by the cable
television franchisee, provided, however, if the number of PEG channels exceeds the minimum number of
channels required by this Part, then the cable television franchisee and the local franchising authority may
agree to carriage of additional PEG channels on a tier other than the lowest level of service; where a
system does not include sufficient unused channel capacity to accommodate a second
educational/governmental access channel resulting from the operation of subdivision (b) of this section,
the cable television franchisee may elect one time to defer the obligation to provide such additional
channel until additional channel capacity becomes available.
(12) A cable television franchisee shall be permitted to use time on one or more PEG access channels
whenever there are no blank channels available on the same level of service which includes the PEG
channel(s) and whenever such PEG channel(s) is not scheduled for use at least 72 hours in advance of
such time or times desired by the cable television franchisee; provided that any use of such PEG
channel(s) by the franchisee shall at all times be subordinate to designated PEG use and shall terminate or
be preempted by PEG programming scheduled at least 72 hours in advance. All nonaccess programming
on PEG channels shall be identified as such by an appropriate announcement made prior to and following
10
each nonaccess use. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at such time as any PEG channel on a cable television
system with a channel capacity in excess of 40 channels has been programmed for a daily average of eight
hours or 50 percent of the hours of access cablecast days, whichever is less, during any 90-day period, use
of such channel by the cable television franchisee shall be suspended for such time as such minimum
PEG use of such channel is maintained.
(d) Applicability. (1) Subdivisions (a), (c) and (f) of this section shall apply to the use of channel
capacity designated for PEG access as of September 9, 1990.
(2) The minimum channel designation requirements in subdivision (b) of this section shall be required by,
and shall be a condition to, the exercise of every franchise and certificate of confirmation granted or
renewed after September 9, 1990.
(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained herein shall impair the enforcement of any
provision of any franchise in effect on September 9, 1990 concerning the designation and use of channel
capacity, facilities and equipment for PEG access or otherwise diminish the obligations of a cable
television franchisee with respect to PEG access.
(e) General. Any cable television franchise may include additional provisions concerning the designation
and use of public, educational and governmental access facilities as follows:
(1) a provision specifying facilities and equipment to be made available by the franchisee for use in
connection with the designated PEG channels; and
(2) any other provision concerning the designation and use of channel capacity for public, educational and
governmental access consistent with Federal and State law.
(f) Waivers and rulings. (1) A cable television franchisee, a municipality or an entity designated to
administer a public access channel may seek a waiver of one or more provisions of this section.
(2) Any interested person may seek a ruling from the commission concerning the applicability or
implementation of any provision of this section or any provision of a franchise concerning PEG access
upon the filing of a petition.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subdivision, the commission shall not grant any waiver
or ruling, or enter any order that constitutes the exercise of editorial control over the content of public
access programming that would have the effect requiring the carriage by a franchised cable television
company of programming distributed as the New York State and Community Affairs Network (NY-
SCAN) except as may be permitted by law.
(4) Waiver requests regarding paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall be submitted by joint petition of the
franchising authority and the cable television franchisee. Any such petition may seek permission to
substitute a commitment not required by this Part in lieu of one or more standards that are required.
(g) Severability. If any provision of this section or the application of such provision is held invalid by a
court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this section or the application of the provision to other
circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
[FN1] If a single public access channel is shared by two or more municipalities, the joint designation of a
single entity is encouraged.
[FN2] Where an educational or a governmental channel is shared by more than one school district or local
government or combination thereof, administration of such channel(s) on a cooperative basis is
encouraged.
11
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 16 § 895.4
4