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PAGE TWO <br />SUBJECT: Public Access TV — Discussion/Direction <br />DATE: March 9. 2004 <br />Lafayette previously had access to the studio but recently renewed their franchise and the new agreement <br />no longer contains provisions for studio access. The City of Boulder has a non- profit Board that decides <br />what is placed on the channel and subsidizes the channel at a cost of over $226,000 annually, although this <br />amount was recently reduced by half, and four out of five employees laid off. The remaining employee <br />has 18 months to put together a plan for self - sustainability of the channel and its operations. The City of <br />Broomfield has availability for a public access channel but no longer provides a studio or equipment <br />(through recent franchise negotiations). The City of Longmont has a Cable Board and subsidizes the <br />channel at a cost of over $120,000 annually. <br />In 2003, the City collected approximately $133,000 from Comcast in franchise fees. The fees are not <br />earmarked for specific projects, but rather deposited into the General Fund for varying uses. The franchise <br />fee is currently 5% of gross revenues collected, the maximum amount allowed under the Cable Act. <br />Comcast was notified of Tuesday evening's meeting. <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Discussion/Direction <br />