from: Olive Aurora [1]
Save Channel 9
Published May 15th
What would you do without this valuable community resource?
Email Aurora’s State Senator Tom Sawyer!
Within the next 7 days, it is possible that the Ohio legislature will pass a bill that ends community television as we know it. That means no more HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS, MAYORS REPORT, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT SHOWS, HOLIDAY CONCERTS, MOORE MOVIES, TIME TO COOK etc. etc.
Even the CABLE 9 FIREPLACE will burn out.
All the award winning programming cable 9 produces will die. More…City council meetings, and school board meetings will also cease to air because channels 23,24,25,26 and 27 will die too.
Senate Bill 117 is about to go before the 127th Ohio General Assembly VERY soon. This bill is sponsored by Senator Jeff Jacobson and co-sponsored by Senators Miller, Spada, Buehrer, Mumper, Niehaus, Stivers, and Mason.
As is currently constructed, the bill would:
Take away the right of Ohio’s municipalities and townships to require cable franchise agreements. And, let existing cable operators abandon existing franchise agreements.
Erode cities home rule by eliminating their control over public right-of-ways and significantly reducing fees. This means cable and phone companies can cut up city streets and private property without local permission.
Give cable companies the right to eliminate all but 3 public access channels in the entire state of Ohio.
The bill is being pushed by AT&T. They have 2 lobbyists for every Senator. AT&T says Senate Bill 117 will make cable rates go down by making it easier for competition. We all saw what competition did for our utilities.
This is only a brief synopsis of a very complicated bill and I urge you to read the entire bill or better yet, the synopsis provided by the law firm of Walter & Haverfield LLP.
The synopsis can be found at http://www.freepress.net/news/22256
the entire bill can be found at www.legislature.state.oh.us
a call, email or better yet FAX to your state senator WILL make a difference. Emails are usually just deleated, but clogging up the fax machine makes a definite statement. Please keep the control of cable television with local municipalities and not with the state. Please don’t let all the award-winning programming on Cable 9 die. Please don’t let your community channels 23,24,25,26,27 die too.
Below is a list of Ohio Senators representing the Cable 9 viewing area.
If you don’t know who your senator is you can go to www.senate.state.oh.us or please fax them all
Tom Sawyer fax phone 614 466-7041 email senatorsawyer@maild.sen.state.oh.us
WATCH BILL 117 VIDEO
Thank You,
Dennis Suchetka
Program Director, Cable 9
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