Save Access

Step 1: Call the FCC
[Estimated Time: 2 minutes per call]
We want large numbers of short calls. You are not asked to be experts, merely to weigh in on the matter of video franchising and PEG. This will likely take less than two minutes. When you call, you will likely be referred to voicemail. Whether you get voicemail or are graced with a real conversation, the script is the basically the same. This is a formal process, so it is okay to read from a script. Feel free to make it fit your needs. It’s your call. They have to listen.

Hello, my name is [Name]. I am [Title/Relationship] for [Organization or Community] located in [City and State].

I am calling about MB 05-311 on video franchising. The following are our concerns:

We unite with Alliance for Community Media members in calling for competition without destruction of local, community controlled media.

1) The proposed rule eliminates incentive for providers to negotiate in good faith. If the city and the provider do not come to agreement in 90 days, the new provider can proceed without agreement. They can then make billions of dollars in our public land without considering local needs.

2) The proposed rule lacks a remedy for geographic discrimination. Public, Education and Government Access, or PEG, are tools to engage our local communities in democracy. Democratic participation should be for all, not based on a company business rule.

3) The proposed rule reduces the support for PEG, institutional networks and other in-kind services from that allowed by current Federal law. It is in direct contradiction to language written by the telephone companies and already passed in key states. This reduction would eliminate a valued community resource with no demonstrated effect on either price or competition.

4) The changes being proposed are dramatic and over-step the FCC’s authority. We believe that such changes to the law should be made by Congress, not the FCC. These changes will slow competition by confusing the legal framework. Changes to the law should be decided by law-makers, not the FCC.

I can be reached at [Phone or Email]. Thank you for your consideration.

FCC Phone Numbers Below: