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<br />_I II II <br />facing the future <br /> <br /> <br />An important goal for 2007 is to outline a strategy for survival of community <br />programming in the North Suburbs if national franchising legislation should <br />become law. There are going to be a lot of things to contemplate. The strategic <br />planning report we receive in 2006 will be helpful in considering steps to be taken <br />to meet our probable funding challenges. A subscriber survey could be helpful in <br />determining which services are more important than others to our viewers. Both <br />will be useful tools for planning for a challenging future. <br /> <br />Staff will work closely with the Operations Committee and Cable Commission to <br />outline possible scenarios for delivering desired servic~s, redefining sources of <br />funding, and if necessary, adjusting staffing levels and structure. <br /> <br />_I II II <br />peg fee <br /> <br /> <br />We are currently at the maximum PEG fee allowed by our Memorandum of <br />Understanding. We are, however, allowed to increase that level annually to <br />cover cost of living increases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the <br />average CPI for 2005 was 3.4%. Increasing the current PEG fee by this amount <br />results in a nine-cent increase per subscriber, per month, to $2.73. <br /> <br />Considering our current dilemma regarding future funding, I believe it would be <br />prudent to take advantage of our ability to increase our funding by this amount for <br />next year. If a "do no harm" amendment is included in future legislation we will <br />be positioned very well, and can consider whether we want to leave it at that <br />level for the following year. If the amendment is not included, the amount of your <br />PEG fee will be inconsequential. <br /> <br />_I II II <br />conclusion <br /> <br /> <br />We have a good thing going here. Our hope is that we are able to continue to <br />provide the services and programs at the level that our cities, producers, and <br />viewers have come to rely on. We have established some optimistic goals for <br />next year that assume our funding level will not be decreased. At the same time, <br />we will work to be prepared for a less than ideal future. <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />t/;J <br />