City Council Study Session Agenda and Packet 2012 02 13

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COUNCIL COMMUNICATION TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: MALCOLM FLEMING CITY MANAGER DATE: FEBRUARY 13, 2012 SUBJECT: DISCUSSION — PUBLIC ACCESS STATION MANAGEMENT CONTRACT ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE SUMMARY: Staff would like the City Council to discuss the issues listed below related to the public access contract at this study session. At the February 21 regular meeting, staff will ask the City Council for direction on how to proceed with the contract. The 2006 Comcast Franchise Agreement allows the City the right to use three public access channels: Public Access (Channel 54), Educational (Channel 22), and Government (Channel 8). These channels, known as PEG Channels, are required by the Federal government to be made available by cable providers to local communities should the community want to use them. At this time the City runs Channel 8 as the Louisville government channel and we contract with Citizen's Community Television 54 (CCTV) to run the public access channel 54. The Boulder Valley School District runs Channel 22. In September 2011 the City Council directed staff to send CCTV a 180 -day notice that their contract would not be automatically renewed in May. That contract will terminate on May 3, 2012. At that time the City will have the following options: 1. Discontinue PEG funding for Public Access The City Council could decide to discontinue funding. The City could the ask Comcast to reduce the PEG fee by 50% so that the City would continue to receive the same level of funds for maintenance of Channel 8, but no funds would be available for Public Access. If that is the decision, the Council would need to determine if CCTV or another group would still be able to access Channel 54 without PEG funds or if the City would ask Comcast to remove Channel 54 from their lineup in Louisville. If this is the decision, the head end currently located in City Hall would need to be removed and if the Council wants to allow a group to continue programming Channel 54, they would need to pay Comcast to install a head end in their studio. SUBJECT DISCUSSION — PUBLIC ACCESS STATION MANAGEMENT CONTRACT AGENDA ITEM 111 14