HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal Reports of PEG Access and I-Net Task Forces I
CITY OF ITHACA
108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850-5690
yt �
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
APoRATEO H. MATTHYS VAN CORT, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
DOUGLAS B. McDONALD, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Telephone: 607/274-6550 Fax: 607/274-6558
To: Inter-Municipal Cable Commission
Cable Franchise Negotiating Committee
Ithaca Area Cable Consortium
From: Pat Vaughan,
Chair of the PEG Access and I-Net Task Forces
Subject: Final Reports of the PEG and I-NET Task Forces
Date: February 2, 1999
Members of the PEG Access Task Force and I-Net Task Force have been working since
September to draw together information on these two complicated topics from a variety
of sources. What is included here are final reports in summary style for these two
working groups,plus the materials that support those summaries. We hope that this
format will make the major points of each report easily understandable and accessible,
and will also permit more extensive examination of questions for those with more
particular interest in these topics.
Task Force members identified stakeholders for the areas covered in these reports, and
have continued to add to this stakeholder list as they became aware of others with
concerns in these areas. We welcome additional comments from those who were
inadvertently excluded.
The work of the PEG Access Task Force was often interwoven with that of the I-Net
Task Force. We have presented these as two separate reports, by two separate groups, but
many of the issues raised here are very closely related. Hardware and infrastructure issues
continued to bubble to the surface throughout the deliberations of both groups.
The technology in this area continues to evolve at a breathtaking rate, and Task Force
members find themselves in a difficult situation. We are aware that too much contract
specificity in a rapidly changing technical environment is unwise,but we also realize that
vague contract language can lead to serious problems in interpretation and
implementation.
Members of the PEG Task Force are aware of the controversial nature of some access
programming, and have wrestled with solutions which will preserve First Amendment
freedoms while protecting the rights of individuals who choose not to be exposed to
An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." �*
- i
material they deem offensive. The Task Force recognizes that responsibility for solving
this problem generally falls outside the scope of the franchise contract.
The PEG Task Force believes that an informed citizenry is essential to a democracy, and
the continued enhancement of access to the media by government, educational
institutions and the public is important in making information readily available to all
citizens. We believe that such access should not be confined only to the largest
population centers, but rather that provision should be made for access in many of the
smaller communities which surround the city.
The current franchisee has demonstrated an admirable commitment to the educational
community, and both Task Forces hope that this commitment can be expanded during the
term of a future franchise contract. The two school systems that are linked via the I-NET
to the rest of the community rely on this connectivity as a basic operational and
educational tool. We hope that in future years other school systems might gain access to
this valuable asset.
Members of the Task Forces have a vision of a technological future which will require
our children to have basic familiarity with this kind of interconnectivity and with the
techniques for using this medium effectively. The existence of the I-Net and its easy
accessibility insure that our children will develop a mastery of this increasingly important
subj ect.
The I-Net Task Force recognizes that although this network may occasionally experience
problems, its presence is extremely important to the institutions that it links. Maintaining
and enhancing the I-Net was a theme that echoed throughout the group's meetings. The I-
Net is truly the"tie that binds"many sectors of the community: schools, various levels of
government, and not-for-profit agencies. By providing these links, the I-Net fosters inter-
municipal cooperation and a more complete integration of community services.
Members of the Task Forces wish to express their thanks for the assistance they received
from the many people whose insightful comments made these reports possible. We also
wish to thank Jeannie Lee of the Ithaca City Planning Department and Wendy Skinner of
the Tompkins County Public Information Office for their invaluable help in compiling,
and editing the report and in coordinating our efforts.
cc: Jean Rice, of Rice, Williams Associates
Jean Currie, Partnership for an Electronic Future(PEF)
Electronic Future Committee Members (EFC)
PEG Task Force Members
I-NET Task Force Members
The Final Report of the PEG Task Force
PEG Task Force Members: Pat Vaughan, Chair; Jim Blizzard; Ben Curtis; Jean Finley;
Harvey Gitlin; Robin Palmer; Wendy Skinner; Jeff Spence; Gossa Tsegaye; and Jeannie ;
Lee, staff.
Government Access:
Y
This section is based primarily on interviews with municipal officials—analyzes
government access needs and potential, and recommends improvements. Expanding the
capabilities of government access cable clearly serves the public, and we recommend that
the negotiators gain firm commitments from Time-Warner on as many of the following
issues as possible.
The recommendations of this task force are prioritized,based on the following criteria:
• Enhancement of economic infrastructure/economic development potential
• Health and safety issues
• Potential cost-savings to governments, hence taxpayers
• Making government activities more open and accessible to all citizens
Recommendations:
Many of the issues facing governments in regard to cable access relate to improvements
in the infrastructure that will permit either additional sites to come on line or will
facilitate monitoring of remote equipment or sites. Additional issues include assuring
adequate facilities and equipment available for government broadcasts or other uses the
maintenance of equipment provided under the franchise agreement, and provisions for
inclusion in upgraded technologies. It is important that all municipalities in the county,
not just City and County governments, have an opportunity to benefit from technological
advances or infrastructure improvements agreed to in the franchise negotiations.
1. Additions to infrastructure:
Install cable extensions to "dark"areas of the City and County. The City's Planning
Department has expressed strong interest in cable access for the Cherry Street Industrial
Park and its proposed expansion areas, the South West Land Use Area, and to any parts
of Inlet Island which do not currently have cable access. Equally important are residences
in the Towns and Villages. Many rural areas of the County are not well served by Time-
Warner and should be supplied with more line extensions so that more residents can
receive local government programming.
Add essential government sites to the I-Net. The Ithaca Fire Department would like to
have broadcast capability at its training center on Pier Road, which is rapidly evolving
into a regional facility. The department envisions broadcasting training sessions from Pier
Road which could be received in fire stations around the County. City officials also want
to make sure that all City-owned structures are connected to the I-Net. County
02/03/99 1
government must also be consulted for its list of desired I-Net connections (of top priority
are the new Public Library and the Human Services Building). A provision must be made
for I-Net drops in municipal buildings built or acquired in the future, and all I-Net
connections must be made to the inside walls of buildings and must provide two-way,
full-motion, full-screen video/audio live-origination, cable-programming connections.
Municipalities outside the City must also be included in any discussions of additional I-
Net connections. A recent informal survey of 18 municipal officials* indicated strong
interest by many municipalities for government access cable services. Connections are
needed in town and village halls, fire halls, and other locations where public business is
conducted. Officials from the Town of Ithaca in particular have expressed a strong desire
to have cablecasting services similar to those of the City and County.
Provide capability for remote monitoring. Telemetry from remote sites is very important,
as the City, County, and other public institutions, such as Bolton Point, upgrade or
increase the number of remotely monitored sites, e.g. pumping stations, landfills, and
water tanks. Officials planning for these remote installations also stress the need for send-
and-receive capabilities for these sites. County officials have expressed strong interest,
and would like to be consulted about, a data transmission system that would allow for
monitoring of data generated from closed landfills,pavement temperature systems,
building operations systems, and interactive traffic control information systems. City
traffic planners would like to improve the monitoring and flexibility of traffic signals in
the downtown area by piggybacking on the cable infrastructure in that area. Send-and-
receive capability is required, and overhead installations, except in areas of Collegetown
where overhead lines prevent fire department access, are acceptable. City engineers have
also requested additional drops in the downtown area to handle traffic signal sensing
devices. Remote monitoring services should be made available to other municipalities
that request it. Local transportation planners would also like to be consulted about a need
for connections to bus shelters and parking garages for security and communications
purposes.
2. Improvement and expansion of government access services:
High-quality broadcasts are essential to building and maintaining viewership of
government access programming. Tompkins County cablecasts are of noticeably superior
quality to City of Ithaca cablecasts. City cablecasts are accomplished with inadequate
equipment that hampers the Time-Warner-supplied crews from doing a good job. The
result is a lesser quality broadcast that reflects pgorly on the government access channel
as a whole. Several improvements are essential for upgrading City Hall broadcasts,
including a separate control room and additional equipment. Staffing problems also need
to be addressed.
Towns and Villages that request government access services must be provided with
adequate equipment, connections, and provisions for staffing that will assure a high
standard for programming, or funding for that purpose. If technically possible, Time
Warner should also supply government access programming to other cable companies
serving Tompkins County residents.
02/03/99 2
Provisions must be made for maintenance and replacement of Time-Warner-supplied
equipment. A clear arrangement with Time Warner for maintenance and scheduled
replacement of equipment is needed. One possible solution is to contract with BOCES or
another third-party provider.
3. Accommodating_ r
Planning and adequate funding for expansion of government access services needs to be
built into a franchise agreement. Municipalities outside the City need to be served, with
current and future technologies, according to their requests. Current users need to be able
to increase both quality and quantity of programming to meet community needs.
An additional government access channel is needed. Scheduling conflicts sometimes
cause one live meeting broadcast to be superceded by another. The overflow can
sometimes be carried by another channel, but there is no way to notify viewers of the
switch. If additional meetings are to be broadcast under a new franchise agreement, one
government channel will not be enough. An additional government channel is needed
immediately. When HDTV technology arrives, at least one 4-part channel must be
allocated to government access. Also, all government access channels should be continue
to be included in the lowest-cost/most-subscribed service.
Training and equipment to match new technologies must be made available in the future.
Franchise language should include the possibility of municipal uses for new cable
technologies, such as video return(reverse channels), and video compressing or video
streaming. Municipalities should automatically be included in, or offered opportunities to
piggyback on, new or upgraded technologies—including those which have not yet
emerged—when it can be shown a public need will be served.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
History of Government Access in the Time-Warner cable system:
Programming for Time Warner's government access Channel 53 started in 1992. A
Government Access Cable Commission(GACC)was established to set policy and
direction for the use of the channel. The GACC, discontinued in 1995, had countywide
membership and set a precedent for intermunicipal coordination of cable issues. The by-
laws that it formulated are still in place and because they anticipated more intensive use
of government access channels than has yet materialized, will probably serve well in the
future.
Channel 53 averages 30-35 hours a week of programming consisting mainly of live
cablecasts and taped replays of City of Ithaca and Tompkins County meetings. Taped
reports from NYS legislators, teleconferences downloaded by Cooperative Extension, and
some edited magazine-style programming are also broadcast.
City of Ithaca meetings (Common Council plus three committee meetings a month) are
cablecast using equipment and staff supplied by Time-Warner. County meetings are
cablecast with equipment supplied by Time-Warner and the County,but staff is paid for
by the County, through a contract of around $24,000 annually with Cooperative
02/03/99 3
Extension. The County maintains a control room/editing suite in the County Courthouse
from which it originates live cablecasts, operates a video bulletin board, and operates all
playback of taped programs for the channel. The bulk of the equipment used by the
County is on loan from Time-Warner, but other costs, for equipment repair or purchase,
for example, are paid for by the County.
Educational Access:
Higher Education:
Ithaca College is, and will probably continue to be, the leading education cablecaster in
the area. IC's video communications program has a strong partnership with the Time-
Warner system that it wants to maintain and expand. More video drops and more
connectivity between buildings at the campus and the Time-Warner hub would enhance
the IC program and would also add more venues for community programming.
In addition to IC, the other colleges in the area need opportunities for access. In
particular, TC-3 —which offers career-oriented video education—is very interested in
tapping into services that could be provided by Time-Warner.
BOCES:
BOCES programs in Continuing and Adult Education, Special Ed, vocational training
and other programs could greatly enhanced by the addition of Time-Warner supplied
resources.
Public Schools:
Ithaca High School has a thriving video program that trains both students and adults
through classes,professional development workshops, and summer media camps. Trained
individuals often go on to produce useful educational and community programming.
Video equipment has also been placed by Time-Warner at the Alternatives Community
School and Boynton Middle School. The schools have a list of needs that includes regular
maintenance of existing equipment, equipment upgrades, ability to relocate underutilized
equipment, live cablecasting for Board of Education meetings, and new sets of equipment
and video drops for all public schools that request it and will use it.
Cooperative Extension:
Cooperative Extension, already on the I-Net, is a major potential producer for relevant,
locally-oriented, and useful educational programming. Extension needs adequate video
production equipment and technical support by Time-Warner.
Interconnectivity:
The task force recommends that all major educational institutions in the County have one
or multiple connections to Time-Warner's hub, and they should also have connections to
each other through an expansion and upgrade of the I-Net or other means.
02/03/99 4
More channels:
One educational channel is inadequate to handle increasing programming. At least one
additional educational channel is needed.
Public Access:
Main Studio Needs Enlargement, Redesign.
The small size and proportion of the main access studio severely limit the types of
programming that can be produced. The long, narrow shape cannot accommodate desired
community programming such as dance performances, choral concerts, drama, live
theater, telethons, public meetings, etc.
Access Center Must Be Centrally Located:
The studio site must: be located in downtown near the Time Warner physical plant hub,
have ample off-street parking,be on the city bus lines, and handicapped accessible.
More Equipment is Needed:
The Task Force recommends that production equipment donated by Time Warner include
full equipment for two large and one small studios, several automated studios, and at least
two easy-to-use portable studios. With minimal expense and training, the automated
studios will make access available to many more individuals and organizations.
Equipment Must Be Maintained, and Replaced When Outdated:
All donated or loaned equipment must be maintained by Time Warner. Timely
maintenance, replacement, and technology updates (such as digital replacing analog) for
all access studio equipment during the course of the franchise must be assured.
Studio Hours and Staffing Need to Be Increased:
The current 60 hours of operation(3-11:30 pm, seven days a week)do not allow
maximum use of access facilities or encourage daytime use by not-for-profits. To serve a
broader population, studio hours and staffing should be significantly increased.
Additional Video Drops Are Needed:
Video drops are needed at key locations around the City as well as in the surrounding
municipalities so that portable studios can be used by not-for—profits and the public.
Free, Public Internet Access Needs to Be Increased:
Time Warner should continue to provide free high-speed Internet access services to the
Tompkins County Library, all town libraries and other locations in sufficient number as
requested by the institutions. The Task Force also recommends a franchise-specified
number of high-speed Internet terminals at the main access studio.
Access to Free Speech Radio is Needed:
The task force recommends that Time Warner provide public access FM radio
capabilities at the main access studio(s) and selected libraries or community centers.
02/03/99 5
Reszional Access is Needed:
Time Warner facilities in other counties should be permitted to cablecast videos produced
at the local access studio, and this Time Warner facility will permit the cablecast of
videos from other Time Warner service areas as well as videos from areas of New York
State served by other cable providers in all cases either as physical tapes or as a
digitized signal.
Viewer Programming Qptions Are Needed:
The Task Force recommends the following policies to accommodate both free speech
rights and informed customer-viewing choices:
1) Instituting some countywide community-controlled channels. Producers must agree to
abide by standards determined by a countywide community advisory board.
2) Time Warner Cable should be required to provide to any customer, free of charge, up-
to-date timed, channel-blocking filters.
3) Time Warner should cablecast and also post on the Internet up-to-date schedules with
program descriptions.
4) Instituting some single-community controlled channels—which would be cablecast
only to specific municipalities and available only to customers living in that community.
5)Maintain separate County-wide free speech channels.
6)Requiring that Time Warner cablecast appropriate electronic v-chip ratings if supplied
by the producer/provider at the time of program submission.
Additional Recommendations:
1) A Chamber-of-Commerce controlled leased access commercial channel for local
business information; 2) Both non-profit public access and commercial leased access pay-
for-view for use by local performing arts entities and for local not-for-profit telethons; 3)
A sub-basic tier for the cost of the converter box to bring the P.E.G. access channels and
other public goods to all connected residences within the county.
Accommodation is Needed for a"Friends of Access" Organization:
The task force recommends a continuation of Time Warner facility management, but is
advancing the idea of creating a separate entity called Friends of Access to raise funds for
and manage desirable access initiatives, including those which represent or seem to
represent a conflict of interest for Time Warner.
Channel Allocation:
Provision is to be made for the transition to High Definition Television(HDTV). The
following is a Task Force-recommended list of the baseline needs:
• 1 Channel for Community
• 2 Channels for Education
• 2 Channels for Government
• 1 Channel for Free Speech
• 1 Channel for Chamber of Commerce long term lease
• 1 Channel for local pay-per-view
• 1 Channel for Channel 7, leased access/local origination
02/03/99 6
i
Appendix
Government Access:
The"Government Access" section was submitted by
Patricia Vaughan, Ithaca Common Council
Wendy Skinner, Tompkins County Public Information Coordinator
Jim Blizzard, Tompkins County TV Coordinator
* Eighteen municipal officials in ten towns and villages responded to a telephone survey
by the Tompkins County Public Information Coordinator. Questions asked were:
• Do you see a community need for government access?
• What kinds of programming do you think would be of most value (choices suggested
were: regular meetings, special meetings or hearings, informational programs, shoots
at community events)?
• Would additional services, such as a community bulletin board or call-in capability,
be useful?
• Should programming be cablecast to a zoned(geographically limited) or countywide
audience, or should it be optional depending on the programming?
• Are line extensions needed to make government access more effective?
SUMMARY: Of the eighteen respondents, fifteen thought government access would be
of benefit to their municipality, and that it is a very important and needed service. Two
did not see a need and felt their communities would not be interested. One found the
question problematic since her town is not served by Time-Warner. Six respondents felt
that every municipal Board meeting should be cablecast.Nine thought it would be
adequate to cablecast special meetings or hearings only(up to six per year). Most
respondents were in favor of additional programming or services, such as informational
panel shows, a community bulletin board, and shoots at community events. Some felt
call-in capability would be useful for certain types of meetings or programs. Some also
felt providing equal time for candidates for local office was a good idea. Three
respondents felt limiting cablecasts to a zoned audience is important; most others felt that
having the option to zone would be useful. In all but the most densely populated
municipalities, respondents reported that the need for more line extensions is very
important and is seen to go hand-in-hand with government access. NOTE: The
overarching assumption in the survey was that T-W would provide the services at no
additional cost to subscribers.
02/03/99 7