WESTFIELD – The Cable Commission is planning to conduct direct negotiations with Comcast officials in early January to expand local cable programming and public access.
The city is negotiating a new contract with Comcast and is seeking to include funding requirements that would open local programming to residents of the city. Pursuant to Section 611 of the Federal Communications Act, local franchising authorities, such as the City of Westfield, may require cable operators like Comcast to set aside channels for public, educational, or governmental (PEG) use.
PEG channels are not mandated by federal law, rather they are a right given to the franchising authority, which it may choose to exercise. The decision whether to require the cable operator to carry PEG channels is up to the local franchising authority. If the franchise authority does require PEG channels, that requirement will be set out in the franchise agreement between the franchising authority and the cable operator.
The commission discussed equipment and programming with Mark St. Jean of Westfield State University last night. The city has a contract with WSU to provide studio space and programming, including live broadcast of the City Council, School Committee and Planning Board meetings.
Community Development Director Peter J. Miller Jr., said this morning that the city will seek a “more robust” local programming capability.
“The commission is seeking three local access channels,” Miller said. “There would be a dedicated bulletin board channel, a governmental channel and an education and cultural channel.”
“A lot of viewers use the bulletin board to get information, but that goes off air when programming is being broadcast. A goal of the commission is to have a dedicated bulletin board channel that would not be interrupted by programming,” Miller said. “The programming would be carried on the other channels.”
The commission discussed access to the studio at WSU and the possibility of establishing a satellite studio downtown to provide increased access for city residents.
“There is a question with people using the studio space at WSU because of the time constraints and the fact that there is no staff available in the evenings,” Miller said. “There is also a cultural issue that people are not comfortable with going to an on-campus facility.”
“The commission would like to try to create a satellite studio downtown, maybe in conjunction with a media concentration program at Westfield Vocational Technical High School for students interested in that field and in technical training,” Miller said.
Comcast submitted a formal proposal for a new cable contract in late November. The Cable Commission is working to finalize a counterproposal that will be presented to Comcast and will set the table for face-to-face negotiations in early January to renew the contract. Part of those negotiations will be the duration of the new contract, which in the past has been for 10-year periods.
The Cable Commission is slated to meet again on Tuesday, Jan. 14, following the initial direct discussion with Comcast.
Comcast is also currently negotiating new licenses with the cities of Holyoke and Northampton.
To learn more about PEG access, click here.
