CC MINUTES 05092006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 9, 2006 Page 2 2 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF. 3 A. Presentation of Cable Commission CTV and Impact of Federal Leeislation. 4 5 Mayor Faust welcomed Coralee Wilson, CTV, to the meeting. 6 7 Coralee Wilson, CTV, stated she appreciates the opportunity to address the City Council and 8 referenced the background information she had provided to the Council about CTV and the 9 North Suburban Communications Commission (NSCC). 10 11 Ms. Wilson explained that CTV is not the "cable company." St. Anthony is a member of two 12 organizations, the NSCC and North Suburban Access Corporation (NSAC). The NSCC was 13 organized first and when the franchise was awarded, then took over the responsibility to 14 overlook and administer the service. The NSAC was created by the NSCC to oversee and 15 administer public access for the ten cities. The NSAC is a nonprofit 5010 corporation. 16 17 Ms. Wilson explained that when the franchise was originally awarded, the NSCC was 18 responsible for public access, including training. Most cable companies did not do a great job at 19 that because they only offered it to get the franchise. Once it was awarded, it was not a profit 20 center for them and they did not really care if it did or did not succeed. When Gus Hauser bought 21 the company from Group W, he said CTV should to it instead so a transfer of management was 22 negotiated for public access and it came under NSAC. Ms. Wilson explained her job, when 23 hired, was to get the NSAC up and running and it was decided to use the name CTV because 24 public access in Minnesota is most times considered where you put your boat into the water. 25 26 Ms. Wilson advised there are significant differences in the two organizations. The primary 27 difference is funding. The NSCC is funded by the City's franchise fees and has a budget to 28 determine what the City will contribute to the budget. That contribution is based on a percentage 29 of the total franchise fees of the ten cities. The NSAC is funded by a grant from the cable 30 company and an annual equipment grant. The grant represents the negotiated value of the 31 company's original public access commitments in the cable franchise. She noted the budgets for 32 both have been provided in the informational packet. Ms. Wilson pointed out that the larger 33 budget is in the NSAC because that is where the bulk of the staff and equipment exists. The 34 NSCC has only three half -time positions and is responsible for franchise administration. 35 36 Ms. Wilson explained there is not a lot of rate regulation but they do have authority to regulate 37 the lowest tier of program service, like off broadcast channels, and rates for equipment and 38 installation. That is done to ensure the cable company completes rate request forms required by 39 the FCC. In 2005, they looked at cable company rates and equipment and installation rates and 40 determined they overcharged in 2004 and 2005. As a result, in March subscribers received a 41 $2.89 rebate from Comcast. 42 43 Ms. Wilson stated they also track State and Federal regulation and oversee the institutional 44 network, which is a separate cable network that links all of the public sector organizations in the 45 ten cities (school district, county, universities). She explained that at this point fiber links the 46 cities but this past year an agreement was worked out with Ramsey County to allow them to use 47 St. Paul fiber and their fiber to connect the County's St. Paul and Arden Hills facilities. They