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MINUTES (as approved Dec. 10, 2024)
Access Oversight Committee (AOC)
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 5 PM
The AOC held its meeting by ZOOM Conferencing
Present: chair Rich DePaolo, secretary Wayles Browne, vice chair Wies van Leuken,
City of Ithaca Common Council liaison Margherita Fabrizio, member Paul Smith; Sean
Ryan (Supervisor of Public Access, Charter Communications).
01. Call to Order by DePaolo 5:03.
02. Agenda Additions and/or Deletions: none.
03. Public Comments: none.
04. Comments by AOC members: none.
05. Approval of Minutes of the October 15, 2024 Meeting. Moved by van Leuken,
seconded by Fabrizio. Approved 4-0-1 without change.
06. Access Studio Coordinator Report (attached). Ryan (to DePaolo): there were no
requests for training in October.
a. Studio Coordinator Job Search - report. Ryan: Charter is currently interviewing
candidates.
b. Insect Control - update. Ryan: No new infestation. We have traps that were left
by the exterminator; haven't caught anything. We are also spraying Lysol in the
premises.
07. Member Reports
a. Common Council meetings on Government Channel 15 - Report. DePaolo has
written to Lauren Kelly (Director of Government Affairs – Fingerlakes Region, Charter
Communications), response pending. Ryan: with advance notice, we could take a signal
coming on fiber from City Hall and telecast it on channel 15. Fabrizio: what exactly
needs to be done at City to make this work? Ryan: The same as what was done to test
the signal. Fabrizio: I will try to get equipment set up for this by December meeting of
Council. She will connect Ryan with Alan Karasin (City's Dir. of Public Information and
Acting City Clerk).
b. Communications with City Attorney - Report. Fabrizio: the City Attorney will take
a short leave at the end of this year. A new full time Assistant City Attorney has been
hired. Hiring is underway for a part time Assistant City Attorney. DePaolo will re-send
his draft letter to the City Attorney for approval (the part referring specifically to the lack
of channels 13, 15 and 16 on Spectrum's TV app).
c. Outreach Committee/Peggy Awards - Report and Resolution. Van Leuken: As
you know the people who organized the Peggy Awards until 2020 have all left. The
trophy maker went out of business. The paperwork was deleted when Lauren left. So
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we are working from scratch and memory. Some of that work was made lighter by the
technical assistance that Ryan gave us. We want to thank him for that. Smith and I
have hammered out a Schedule, the Guidelines and Entry Form. They will now go to
Ithaca College for their review. We will meet with them later this month to finalize
things. A Request for Entries will go out in early December, judging will take place in
January. It is much more a joint event with IC than in previous years. They have
reserved Park Hall Auditorium for the awards ceremony. It will take place on Valentine’s
day - that is Friday the 14th of February - with a reception with refreshments, expected
to be cablecast live on Channel 16 with repeats on Channel 13. About the judges. We
are proposing that 2 come from IC and 2 from public access - one of those 2 from the
AOC. It is a time commitment of 8 - 12 hours from 1/14/25 onward and ends absolutely
on 1/22/25. It will take place at PEGASYS. Who of you volunteers for the job? We
need to know by November 27. About the trophies and other things that cost money.
Trophies will cost about $300. To have the 2 top winners participate in the Hometown
Media Awards will cost about $75 or $40 for students. We will need some money for
printing and refreshments for the judges. We are hoping that IC will contribute. We
propose that AOC funds part of this from the Usage Fee fund.
A resolution was moved by Smith and seconded by Browne to partially fund the Peggy
Awards.
WHEREAS the PEGASYS Community Media Center holds an annual awards ceremony
to celebrate the best of PEG programs of the previous years (“the Peggy Awards”); and
WHEREAS this event lost its traditional funding from Charter Communications; now be
it
RESOLVED that the AOC authorizes its Outreach Committee to use up to $250.00 from
the Usage Fee Fund for trophies, certificates and Peggy Awards related expenses.
Smith is enthusiastic about renewing the Peggies.
Discussion: will $250 be enough? Van Leuken: leave $250 as is; we are going to ask IC
if they could match these funds. If not, we hope we may ask for additional funds.
Adopted 5-0.
d. PEGASYS Operations
- Installation studio curtain with image of Dan Burgevin's mural. The curtain was
removed and not put up again when one of the studio curtains was replaced recently.
Smith: the picture mailed to you shows a mockup of the chains that we'll need to buy in
order to hold the curtain up. He estimates 6 or 8 feet of chain for each of 36 grommets
in the curtain, plus clips and wheels so curtain can move along the ceiling track.
DePaolo: the metal chain used to repair double hung windows might work. Fabrizio:
suggests Agway as a source.
Smith, DePaolo and Ryan will inspect the curtain and ways to hang it on 18 November
at 1:00.
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- Low volume of Channel 15. DePaolo: Rob Henry of County Cooperative
Extension is aware of the issue. Ryan: ISP is looking into the issue; no update yet. Van
Leuken: the volume has been consistently low for several months now. DePaolo will
contact Henry and Kelly again.
e. Usage Fees - annual review of fee levels, use and collection. Van Leuken: This
review is an annual requirement. Balance of the Usage Fee Fund is $669.01. PEG
Access Users that do not live in participating communities are charged a bi-annual fee
of $20.00 ($50.00 if organizations) (Resolution #40, 12/4/18) and are to be used for
"purposes to assure the continuation and benefit of PEGASYS’ community access
studio operations to the maximum extent possible pursuant to the terms of the
Franchise Agreement" (Resolution #37, 2/6/18). She asks Ryan where the funds are
kept. Ryan: they are kept in a safe in our building on State Street. Van Leuken: when
were they last counted? Ryan: I will get back to you on that.
Browne: let's leave the fees as they are now, possibly review them again after the
Peggy Awards.
f. PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual
- Use of current Reservation Forms. Van Leuken: AOC created a set of reservation forms
as part of the 2023 annual review of the Manual (Resolution #82, 11/7/23) (They were slightly
modified in early 2024 with new rules the Mini Studio's use, Resolution #86, 2/6/24). Charter
requires staff to use the forms it began using at its own initiative in 2020.
DePaolo: Charter is evidently still reviewing the new ones; will write again to Kelly.
- Annual Review - Resolution. Van Leuken: this is a mandatory annual review.
We have a resolution to add language on conditions for returned equipment and the
availability of Clip Art and Music free of copyright.
Browne moved and DePaolo seconded a resolution to amend Sections 3 and 7 of the
PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual of November 7, 2023 as amended.
WHEREAS, the Access Oversight Committee (AOC) is charged with annually reviewing
the PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual ("the Manual"); and
WHEREAS, the AOC wishes to amend Sections 4 and 8 of the Manual; and now
therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the following changes shall be made to the Manual:
a. Section 3.2 will now read " 3.2 Care of and Responsibility for Equipment.
Staff will examine equipment and facilities at the end of all reservations. Producers
should report all equipment problems they noticed. Producers are fully liable for any
damage or loss to the facilities and equipment issued to them resulting from negligence
or misuse. Staff will determine the proper course of treatment (repair or replacement)
for damaged equipment and bill this amount to the responsible producer.
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Equipment checked out for field production should be returned as it was when checked
out: in clean condition, free from insects and ready for use by the next producer. When
violations occur, as a first step, staff should work with the producer to prevent further
violations. If this does not work, equipment checkout may be suspended until the
producer can show that the violation is remedied.
All such violations must be reported to the Access Oversight Committee. Disputes
should be brought before the AOC for a final decision.
b. A new Section 7.6 will be added "7, MISCELLANEOUS" to read "7.6 Clip Art and
Music Library. All PEGASYS computers have been uploaded with Clip Art and Music
from the Fresh Music Library. Copyright-free use of the music is granted per a Licensing
Agreement with PEGASYS signed on December 12, 2005."; and now be it further
RESOLVED, that this amended Manual will be known as the PEGASYS Policies and
Procedures Manual of November 12, 2024 and will go into effect immediately.
Adopted 5-0.
DePaolo will send this resolution to Kelly. Van Leuken will update the Manual to include
these amendments and distribute the new document.
08. Old Business
a. Streaming Channel 13. DePaolo will bring information to the next meeting on
new technology that might make this possible.
09. New Business: none.
10. Next meeting: December 10, 5 pm.
11. Adjournment 6:38.
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-OversightCommittee
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
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