On November 19, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance
that ensures CAN TV will not be deprived of funding from companies that get
state franchises. The current ordinance
was flawed. While it ensured CAN TV
would get the 1% public access fee from AT&T, it routed funds from all
future state franchise companies to the City.
With Comcast’s announcement that it planned to abandon its negotiations
with the City and opt into a state franchise, it became imperative that this
disparity be corrected.
The corrected ordinance now states that CAN TV will get
direct payment of 2/3rds of the 1% fee for public access allocated under state
law. That applies across the board for
all companies, and brings state cable payments into line with the RCN local
franchise. CMA members applaud the City
Council for taking this important step to ensure the future stability of CAN
TV.
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