from: OCAT [1]

State Video Franchising Impact on Oshkosh Community Access Television (OCAT)

Most concerning to OCAT is that the current language in these bills specifically prohibit municipalities from requiring video service providers to provide funds, services, programming, facilities or equipment in support of PEG channels. Without specific language preserving our current PEG funding, this bill will severely impact, if not eliminate the OCAT operation. Over a nine-year period (the balance of our current franchise agreement with Time Warner Cable) it is estimated these bills will have a total financial impact on Oshkosh [2] of anywhere between $2.8M-$3.4M from lost revenue and increased costs. Oshkosh City Attorney Warren Kraft summarizes the major problems with these bills from a municipal viewpoint in his March 23, 2007 Memo [3]. A Wisconsin Association of PEG Channels (WAPC) study [4] estimates that in one year alone these bills will have a negative impact of at least $5M per year collectively on Wisconsin PEG faculties and a $50M impact over a 10 year period. The major talking points of AB 207/SB 107 can be found in WAPC Executive Director Mary Cardona's April 3 Memo [5].

AB 207/SB 107 damage or shortchange PEG channels like OCAT in six major areas:

1) The bills eliminate ALL PEG fee funding which allow PEG channels to replace outdated equipment and/or facilities

2) The bills will reduce the franchise fees paid by video service providers to municipalities (forcing an increase in property taxes OR a reduction in PEG operating budgets)

3) The bills would require municipalities to be responsible for getting PEG signals to video service providers head-ends (adding new fiber and T-1 monthly lease costs and equipment to PEG budgets)

4) The bills would allow video service providers to send PEG signals out to citizens in a substandard "web streamed" video quality

5) The bills would require unrealistic daily content requirements onto PEG channels that not even most major network affiliates could currently match (or allow the video providers to pull the PEG channels for other uses)

6) The bills would allow video service providers to abandon support for current institutional networks connecting school and municipal buildings.

publicly [6] in support of the amendments we want included in the bills. Thank you Gordon! But we still need to get Senator Roessler's support. Please contact her and let her know that you support OCAT and the work we do in the Oshkosh community. More importantly, tell her you want her support of the three key PEG amendments [7] in any telecommunication amendments. If you have not yet done so, we have a sample letter [8] here that you can use to email or write both our legislators. It is important that we encourage all OCAT supporters, viewers and users to do this! Please encourage other OCAT supporters to do the same! Legislators are hearing from AT&T's 15 lobbyists every day on this issue-- shouldn't they hear from Oshkosh residents as well?