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In the June issue of Arden Hills Notes, one of the Benchmarks from the June 9 City Council meeting reported that the Council had “denied the CTV franchise renewal proposed by Comcast.” Some Arden Hills residents may be won- dering what this franchise is and why the Council voted as it did. North Suburban Cable Commssion Arden Hills is one of ten member cities of the North Suburban Cable Commission (NSCC), which administers and enforces the franchise agreement with the cable company. The franchise fees paid by Comcast are essentially its rent for using the public rights-of-way. The NSCC also manages CTV, a nonprofit organization that provides community television to the cities in the group. These are the channels on which Council meetings, graduations, sporting events, parades, and other com- munity activities are broadcast. The Com- mission believes that CTV has served the cities well. The current franchise was granted in 1998. The Commission has worked dur- ing the last three years on needs ascertain- ment of its members, a technical audit, two franchise fee audits, and Comcast’s proposal for franchise renewal. Procedure for renewing a franchise There is a formal procedure being fol- lowed, as required by the Federal Cable Act, which includes: • Needs assessment • Commission’s request for renewal proposals • Staff report and request for renewal pro- posal given to cable operator (Comcast). • Commission’s review of the proposal followed by a recommendation to the Councils of each of the ten cities (In this case, the recommendation was for preliminary rejection of Comcast’s proposal.) The next steps are pending: • A judiciary hearing by an administrative law judge • The cable company’s opportunity to present evidence in favor of the proposal • Further review and recommendation by the NSCC • Another vote by the cities • Comcast can require a judicial review if the proposal is finally denied Major issues considered Craig Wilson, the longtime Arden Hills representative to the NSCC, identified three issues that need to be resolved between the parties: the PEG fund, a proposed reduction in the number of channels, and charges for I-Net. The position of the NSCC is essentially a desire to maintain the status quo, a system in which Public, Educational and Govern- ment (PEG) access fees are collected by Comcast and used by the Commission to fund both operational and capital costs of CTV. Comcast believes that a ruling by the Federal Communications Commis- sion indicates it’s time for a change and is proposing that cities use the franchise fees paid by cable or other funding for the operating costs. Those fees are already committed for other communications needs, leaving open the possibility that CTV North Suburbs would no longer be able to function without the current fund- ing system. The fiber-based Institutional Network (I- Net) links local government facilities and CTV. Comcast has already been compen- sated for the six strands of fiber, and the cities, schools, and libraries which use I-Net provide their own equipment to con- nect to and manage the network. Therefore the cost to Comcast is very small and no additional fees have been charged. How- ever, in the new proposal, there would be a monthly managed services fee of $1,600 per connection. Informal talks underway, too While the formal procedure goes forward, informal discussions continue to take place in the hope of reaching an agreement without legal action. Comcast will operate as usual during the entire process. Cable franchise renewal under negotiation For more detailed information or to see the independent reports submit- ted to the NSCC and the City Council, go to the Arden Hills City website. Fall is in the air by Susan Cathey 5 City Hall returns to regular hours on Tuesday, September 2 Summer hours end and regular hours resume at City Hall on Tuesday, September 2. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for City Hall staff and 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Public Works staff. Fall Clean-up Day is Saturday, October 4 Fall Clean-up Day for Arden Hills and Shoreview residents is Saturday, October 4, at the Ramsey County Pub- lic Works Facility, 1452 Paul Kirkwold Drive, Arden Hills. Refuse, electronics, and household hazardous waste are accepted. Hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fees will be charged this fall. There’s a $10 charge for cars bringing items for disposal; $25 for vans, SUVs, and trucks; and $35 for trailers (8’ x 10’ or smaller). Visit the City website for more detail.