HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CABLECOMM-1989-07-18 CITY OF ITHACA CABLE COMMISSION
Minutes -- July 18, 1989
Present : Demo, Heegard, Streb Terrizzi .
Absent: Herskowitz
1. The meeting was called to order at 7 : 35 pm.
2 . The Minutes of the June 12 meeting were approved with minor
changes .
3 . Chair 's report and correspondence:
A. Letter from ACC Public Access Coordinator -- Chairperson
Streb read a letter from Lauren Stefanelli, ACC Public
Access Coordinator, regarding televised coverage of Common
Council and Standing Committee meetings as specified in Sec.
14. 7 of the Cable Franchise Agreement. Stefanelli requested
that ACC be informed two weeks in advance of any meeting
changes in order to allow time to coordinate coverage .
Streb recommended that ACC should routinely inform the
committee chairs of planned coverage so that they could, in
turn, let ACC know about any schedule changes . Demo
inquired about how committees are selected for coverage .
Common Council member Sean Killeen observed that more
consideration needs to be given to that question, especially
in the context of the public's need to know.
B. Streb related the contents of letters received from Charles
Smith Associates, Alan and Joyce Gordon, Karel Husa, and
Steven Youra . All of these concerned channel restructuring
and programming, with the exception of Youra's letter which
complained about the unrelated advertising pieces being sent
with ACC billing. Also discussed was the communication from
City Attorney Nash concerning Paramount Comm. Inc. 's
attempted acquisition of Time, Inc. , ACC's parent company.
4 . Public comment -- None .
5. ACC Report -- Barbara Lukens, newly appointed General Manager of
ACC, was introduced to the members of the Commission. No formal
ACC report was given.
6 . Access Advisory Board report -- None .
7 . Senior Citizens Discount -- Common Council member Killeen
discussed a new proposal for providing senior citizen discounts .
It would entail having ACC customers sign a special discount
section of their bills attesting to their eligibility
senior citizen discount. Lukens indicated that she,/w*Ildl kbAiX
the proposal and report back on it .
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Cable Commission -- June 13, 1989
8 . Equipment buy option -- The Commission reviewed the concerns
expressed by Curt Dunnam in his letter of June 15 to the
Commission, which questioned ACC's posture on the equipment buy
option and the tone of its customer information piece describing
those options . Regarding subscriber purchase of internal wiring,
Lukens stated that ACC would prefer not to have to go into a
subscriber 's home, but that FCC rules on signal leakage are a
genuine concern to ACC. Heegard questioned ACC's stated price
for remote controllers and asked if third party vendor remote
controllers will work as required by the Franchise Agreement .
Lukens said she would look into the price issue and also review
other matters related to the buy option. Demo questioned the
deadline date given in ACC's customer information piece which
appears to run counter to the provisions of the Franchise
Agreement which reflect no time limit .
9 . Other business --
A. Streb reported that the power supply box--about which noise
complaints have been filed by Alan Cohen--is scheduled for
relocation, according to ACC's Chief Engineer .
B. Streb reported that letters regarding the cable re-regulation
hearings had been sent to Senators Damato and Moynihan.
Copies are to be distributed to Commission members .
C. Tom Terrizzi 's op ed piece was reviewed and discussed .
Terrizzi agreed to take member suggestions and incorporate
them into a new draft to be submitted for approval at the
next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 8: 50 pm.
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