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1 time seeing where the costs of the community access programming could <br /> 2 have increased. <br />• 3 Mayor Sundland recalled the extravagant concessions related to community <br /> 4 access the cable company had been willing to make to get the franchise <br /> 5 and agreed the independent audit the Cable commissioners were <br /> 6 recommending was a good idea. <br /> 7 Councilmember Ranallo stated he didn't "see any reason why the Council <br /> 8 should be involved in cable at all because a majority of St. Anthony <br /> 9 residents don't care at all about public access programming. " When he <br /> 10 said he perceived the cable company was actually encouraging the <br /> 11 transfer of community access programming over to the independent <br /> 12 corporation, Ms. Anderson agreed that was true, but said Mr. Hauser was <br /> 13 not willing to transfer that portion of the $14.95 which is supposed to <br /> 14 go towards supporting that programming. She said that's where the <br /> 15 stalemate is right now. The Cable Administrator reiterated that the <br /> 16 Cable Commission contends that there are dollar figures in the current <br /> 17 $14. 95 rate which were included in the franchise Mr. Hauser bought to <br /> 18 be spent on community access programming which the cable company will <br /> 19 be expected to pay the non-profit corporation to support that <br /> 20 programming. <br /> 21 Mr. Murphy told the Councilmember that without an audit the Cable <br /> 22 commission had up to this time been unable to ascertain just what those <br /> 23 figures were and had therefore been hesitant to go with an independent <br /> 24 corporation to "do what the franchise stated the cable company should <br /> �25 have been doing all the time. " He said the Cable Commission's goal <br /> 26 has always been to get successful community access programming for the <br /> 27 Cities in the Commission and the Commission now perceives the only way <br /> 28 to reach that goal would be to take the programming away from Cable <br /> 29 TV North Central and have it run by an independent corporation which is <br /> 30 committed to the concept of community access. He agreed that. a rate <br /> 31 increase was going to occur whether the transfer is made or not. <br /> 32 When Councilmember Ranallo reiterated that he didn't perceive the <br /> 33 community wanted community access anyway, Ms. Anderson responded that <br /> 34 community access had been federally mandated as a "freedom of speech <br /> 35 issue" and added that "the subscribers have been paying for it ever <br /> 36 since the franchise was first granted. " She told Councilmember Ranallo <br /> 37 the reason the Council "gets the heat" every time the rates go up is <br /> 38 because the cable company has told the subscribers the "City (Cable <br /> 39 Commission) has told us we can raise the rates. " The Cable <br /> . 40 Administrator added that even "if a lot of cities want to get out of <br /> 41 the cable business, the franchises establishing cable TV have already <br /> 42 been signed" and she perceived that "if normal cable operation like <br /> 43 dozens of other communities enjoy, you wouldn't be experiencing the <br /> 44 problems you are now. " <br /> 45 Mayor Sundland agreed that the cable company's profits couldn't help but <br /> 46 rise if they increased their market penetration which in turn should <br /> 47 make it easier for them to provide community access programming. <br /> • 9 <br />