Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF CENTERVILLE <br />RES. #20-0_____ <br />RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF <br />THE PROTECTING COMMUNITY TELEVISION ACT <br />WHEREAS, the City of Centerville is a member of the North Metro Telecommunications <br /> Commission organized pursuant to Minn. Stat. <br />§ 471.59, as amended, and includes the municipalities of Ham Lake, Spring Lake Park, Blaine, <br />Lexington, Circle Pines, Centerville and Lino Lakes, Minneso <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Commission negotiates and manages the cable franchises agreements of <br />the Member Cities and operates North Metro TV, the local community public educational and <br />on behalf of the Member Cities; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, North Metro TV provides coverage of local events, such as local high school <br />sporting events and most government meetings that local broadcast stations (i.e. WCCO, KSTP, <br />KMSP, and KARE) typically will not cover and in light of a rapidly decreasing print media, North <br />Metro TV is the principal, and may soon be the sole, source for local residents to have access to <br />coverage of local events; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, North Metro TV is funded through franchise fee and PEG fee revenues <br />negotiated in the cable franchise agreements; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Member Cities require, as part of the cable franchise agreements, that <br />cable companies meet demonstrated community needs by providing non-monetary in-kind <br />contributions that benefit the Member Cities, local schools, public safety buildings, as well as <br />North Metro TV; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, in 1984 Congress defined a franchise fee <br />for the past 35 years, it has been solely a monetary fee; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, last year the FCC departed from the clear language of the Cable Act and <br />ruled that a franchise fee is both a monetary and non-monetary fee and permits cable companies <br />to unilaterally assign a value to the non-monetary in-kind contributions and then subtract that <br />amount from the franchise fees the cable operator pays the local community; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the FCC order results in decreased vital funding to the Member Cities and <br />North Metro TV; <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the Protect Community Television Act (currently S. 3218/HR 5659) has been <br />introduced in Congress and its goal is to maintain the status quo by reversing the FCC order and <br /> <br />