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Home My WebLink AboutMN-CABLE-2016-05-31 1 City of Ithaca Access Oversight Committee (AOC) Meeting Minutes TUESDAY, May 31, 2016, 4:30 PM Meeting Room, PEGASYS Access Center, 519 West Green Street, Ithaca, NY As approved July 11, 2016 Present: Vice-chair Wies van Leuken, AOC members Wayles Browne, Common Council liaison Ducson Nguyen; studio manager Lauren Stefanelli. Absent: Chair Rich DePaolo. 01. Call to Order by Van Leuken at 5:20 PM. 02. Agenda Additions and/or Deletions: none. 03. Public Comments a. Studio Upgrade Consultants (met us before the meeting). Before the meeting, Com Tech, Inc. president Charles Zarriello (Vorheesville, NY) and Com Tech local technician Dick Linn presented a demonstration of high-definition cameras and a discussion of control-room equipment (also HD) for a proposed studio upgrade. Com Tech's bid is complete; another bid is expected from Audio Video Corp. b. Other: none. 04. Approval Minutes of the May 2, 2016 Meeting: approved as submitted, 3 to 0. 05. Access Studio Coordinator Report in writing (attached). a. TWC's recommendations for 2017 Budget: Stefanelli presented a budget for the complete upgrade of the PEGASYS studio from analog to digital high definition. She requested bids from 2 companies , Com Tech, Inc. and Audio Video Corp, for a Not To Exceed amount of $50,000. She and TWC’s engineers will review the proposals for feasibility issues. The AOC will receive a report at the next meeting. See 3a above and 6a below. b. Subscriber Fee Report ($0.15/subscriber/month revenues): attached. c. Capital Purchase Report from TWC: attached. d. Quality of PEG Channels after TWC’s transition to All-Digital. Stefanelli will try to get one of the local TWC engineers to come to the beginning of the next AOC meeting and give some clarifications. AOC is eager to have these. e. Annual Report on PEGASYS’ Accomplishments – Stefanelli will prepare a rough draft for the next meeting. f. Faulty entrance door and misuse of PEGASYS phone number: of the 4 entrances to the studio, the front door was recently replaced but the three other doors were not. Those three doors are badly rusted, leaky to the point that in winter snow piles up inside on their thresholds and they fail to latch automatically after someone goes out through them. This compromises safety, security, and climate control. AOC expresses concern and will ask Chair Rich DePaolo to contact David Whalen, TWC's Government Relations manager so as to expedite replacement doors. A purchase authorization for them seems to have gotten stuck at the approval stage. – The Studio’s phone number (272-7272) is listed in the “Yellow Pages” phone book for TWC’s office on West State Street, with the result that Stefanelli receives numerous calls from TWC customers about cable service issues. 2 06. Member Reports a. AOC Budget Recommendations for 2017 - Resolution. The AOC decided to incorporate remaining balances from previous years and in particular the unexpended 2016 budget into the 2017 budget, so this resolution refers to the 2016-2017 budget. Resolution Access Oversight Committee (AOC) Tuesday, May 31, 2016 AOC Recommendations for 2016/2017 Budget WHEREAS, Section 15.12 of the Franchise Agreement between the City of Ithaca and Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership (TWC) of January 2003 requires the participating municipalities (City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights) to provide TWC with an annual budget for Public, Educational and Governmental access operations by June 30 of each calendar year, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca's Ordinance #2003-17, Par 18-4-G, requires the Access Oversight Committee (AOC) to provide the Participating Municipalities with a recommended annual budget by May 31 of each calendar year, and WHEREAS, not all budgets from previous years were fully expended and in particular the full amount of the 2016 Budget approved in June of 2015 remains available; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the AOC recommended that the unused funds of previous years and the full amount of the 2016 Budget become part of the 2017 Budget making it the “2016/2017 Budget”, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the AOC accepted the attached 2016/2017 Budget in the amount of $50,000.00 at their regular meeting of May 31, 2016, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the AOC forwards its recommendations for approval by the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, the Town of Ithaca Board and the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees, so that they may meet their obligation to provide TWC with an annual budget for Public, Educational and Governmental access operations, which budget is due June 30 of each calendar year. Approved unanimously 3 2016/2017 Budget Upgrade Studio from Standard Definition to Digital High Definition $50,000.00 Description: The current equipment of the PEGASYS Studio is standard definition (SD), 720x480 pixels, analog equipment that dates from 1989 -1995. Almost none of it can be fixed or replaced any more. This budget includes new equipment that will upgrade the Studio to digital high definition (HD), 1280x720 pixels or higher. The new equipment includes HD Cameras, Camera Remote Controls, Video Switching and Titling Equipment, Monitors, Digital Recording and Media Playback. As noted above (3a and 5a), one supplier has made a bid and another bid is expected. Stefanelli's superiors and engineers want to look at both bids and make recommendations to the AOC on which to accept. In discussion of needs for the following years, Stefanelli highlighted the PEG studio's NEXUS video server/system controller, which cablecasts programs automatically at preset times. The present one is SD, but LEIGHTRONIX now offers a HD NEXUS digital video server/system controller; one such is presently installed at City Hall and functions very well to cablecast Common Council meetings. A new HD NEXUS might cost ca. $12,000. As much of the PEG studio's equipment as possible should be HD, which will allow improved picture quality even while the PEG channels continue to be cablecast as SD. b. Vacancies and Term Expirations - update. Nguyen continues to seek a third City of Ithaca member. He will provide an application form and Stefanelli will inform producers that anyone residing in the City can apply. c. AOC's Capital Purchase Report to City: attached to these minutes. Nguyen will call the attention of the Mayor and Common Council members to the report. e. Home Page – discussion: for next meeting. 07. Old Business a. Franchise Agreement: no report. b. Charter/TWC/Brighthouse Network merger: press reports and a letter to subscribers indicate the merger has taken place; existing contracts will bind the new entity. c. PEGASYS' Access Rules: for next meeting. 08. New Business: none. 09. Next meeting: Monday, July 11 [not in June, not July 4]. 10. Adjournment 6:30. Notes by W. Browne as AOC secretary. ===== Contact information for AOC members: City of Ithaca: Wayles Browne, secretary <ewb2@cornell.edu>. City of Ithaca: Ducson Nguyen, Common Council liaison 2016 <dnguyen@cityofithaca.org>. City of Ithaca: member TBA. Town of Ithaca: Rich DePaolo, chair <rd@richdepaolo.com>. Village of Cayuga Heights: Wies van Leuken, vice chair <pmv4@cornell.edu>. 4 Web site for the PEGASYS studio, with program schedules: http://pegasys.webstarts.com/index.html studio location: 612 West Green Street, Ithaca, New York mailing address: 519 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 phone (607) 272-7272 fax (607) 277-5404 PEGASYS staff: studio manager Lauren Stefanelli <lauren.stefanelli@twcable.com> 5 June 2016 Access Studio Coordinator Report - Building Improvements The building sign enclosure has been installed. - Equipment Maintenance and Repair: New Our studio had a problem with moving horizontal hum bars across all cameras. Our engineer fixed the problem, which turned out to be a failed component in the Ross SEG/video switcher. The part he replaced was labelled 1987. - Equipment Maintenance and Repair: Update We replaced the battery for the edit laptops which had been having power problems. It works normally now. - 2015 Equipment Fund Update Attached. - 2016 Equipment Fund: Studio Upgrade to HD Demo by vender of proposed cameras at meeting. - Institutional Access Ithaca City School District’s INET line has been fixed and live meetings have resumed. The tech has begun transitioning from SVHS tape. He now records his show to file while livestreaming and then converts his file to our playback file format, mpg2. - Producer Programs of Note Our producers have covered a number of important issues and events recently, including striking Verizon workers and the mayor’s town meeting on his drug plan. 6 7 8 9 Subscriber fee report, 2004-April 2016 2004 2004 Bala nce PEG Access Collections ($.15) $22,768.04 PEG Access Equipment Spending $19,372.15 $3,395.8 9 2005 2005 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $20,144.93 PEG Access Equipment Spending $14,814.73 $8,726.0 9 2006 2006 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $19,616.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $0.00 $28,342. 09 2007 2007 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $18,807.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $19,338.81 $27,810. 28 2008 2008 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $18,347.25 PEG Access Equipment Spending $11,749.14 $34,408. 39 2009 2009 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $17,509.95 PEG Access Equipment Spending $17,954.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $3,148.13 $30,816. 21 2010 2010 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $16,593.60 PEG Access Equipment Spending $17,433.96 $29,975. 85 2011 2011 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $15,088.35 PEG Access Equipmentt Spending $9,589.92 $35,474. 28 2012 2012 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $14,032.50 PEG Access Equipment Spending $4,254.78 $45,252. 10 00 2013 2013 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $13,977.69 PEG Access Equipment Spending $22,956.23 $36,273. 46 2014 2014 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $13,097.76 PEG Access Equipment Spending $0.00 $49,371. 22 2015 2015 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $12,492.90 PEG Access Equipment Spending $13,883.00 $52,102. 47 2016 2016 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $4,121.35 PEG Access Equipment Spending $0.00 $56,223. 82 Total $206,597.32 $154,494.85 Balance remaining 4/30/16 $52,102. 47 Note: Peg Access collections repr. $.15/mo. from the City, Town of Ithaca, Cayuga Heights