Madison City Channel
and PEG Access in Wisconsin:
The Threats We Face and What You Can Do

UPDATE: June 4, 2007

1. Call the Wisconsin Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472. You will speak to an actual person who can log your opposition to SB 107/AB 207.

Brad Clark
Station Manager
Madison City Channel
Room 210
215 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.
Madison, WI  53703

The Threat:

1.  PEG Access television in Wisconsin communities, and channels such as Madison City Channel are an important component of the public discourse.  Communities such as Madison are very interested in the activities of their local government and in public affairs.  Just as C-Span makes accessible the workings of the Federal Government and the proposed Wisconsin Eye that of State Government, Madison City Channel makes local Madison government and public affairs accessible to the Madison public, resulting in a more informed and involved citizenry.

2. Because of this interest and because of the community's recognition of the value of a channel such as Madison City Channel, the City of Madison, working with the incumbent cable operator, have established a funding mechanism that allows City Channel to provide the services the City, through its local elected representatives, has determined are appropriate.

3.  The existing PEG funding mechanism places the burden of supporting PEG on cable and video subscribers, not the general public.  In Madison, for example, subscribers pay a monthly "Access Fee" of 62 cents per subscriber on their Charter bills.  This type of funding mechanism reduces pressure on local property taxes.

4.  The "Video Competition Act" (AB-207 and SB-107) introduced on March 22nd starkly and arbitrarily prohibits municipalities and cable and video service providers from establishing any sort of PEG funding mechanism.  To quote the bill, "...a municipality may not require (a)...cable provider or video service provider to provide any funds, services, programming, facilities, or equipment..." (emphasis added).

5.  This bill would leave communities with the stark choice of either silencing these vital community voices or adding to the property tax burdens of every resident of the community, whether they are cable or video subscribers or not.

6.  The draconian language of this bill as it effects PEG funding is virtually unprecedented.  Of the following states that have already passed statewide video franchising - Texas, Virginia, Indiana, California, North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Kansas, and South Carolina - only Kansas and South Carolina prohibit PEG funding the way this proposed Wisconsin bill does. 

What's more, even Federal legislation such as the House "COPE" bill, passed by the Republican-controlled House, and Republican Senator Ted Stevens' bill (which never reached the Senate floor last year) included provisions to preserve PEG funding.  Does Wisconsin, with its tradition of progressivism and open government, really want to be lumped in with Kansas and South Carolina?  Why should Wisconsin settle for worse PEG provisions than other states have agreed upon?

What Can You Do?

1.  If you agree that the programming and services provided by Madison City Channel are of value to your organization and to the Madison community, then we need your help.  We need you to contact your state and local officials and let them know that, in any possible statewide cable/video franchising legislation, you want to see PEG funding mechanisms preserved.

2.  What are we asking for?  Tell these officials that you want to see language inserted into this bill that funds PEG Access at the greater of 1% of gross revenues or at the level required of the existing cable incumbent.  This type of language is called "do no harm" language and simply preserves the status quo.  We are not looking for an increase in our funding - we simply want to stay whole. 

3.  There's really no reason for either cable companies or telephone companies to oppose such language.  If applied to all cable/video providers, this language is competitively neutral and, since this funding is passed along directly to subscribers as a line-item on their bills, it doesn't impact their company's bottom lines. 

4.  You are free to use as many or as few of the above "talking points" as you would like (cut and paste to your heart's content!), but we would also ask you to customize your letter to include some words about your organization and how Madison City Channel has worked with you throughout the years to help get your message out to the Madison public and the value of our collaboration. We hope that you will be able to spend a few minutes composing a letter using the above "talking points". However, we have also written a "form letter" which you can use as needed.

5.  Send letters, faxes, e-mails, and phone calls!  We need these officials to hear from you loud and clear.

6.  Who needs to hear from you?  Glad you asked! 
        
            -Members of the Wisconsin State Senate, especially the Senator from your District;

                        -Senate President Fred Risser;
                        -Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson;
                        -Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities and Rail
                             (Senators Plale, Breske, Wirch, Hansen, Cowles, Hardsorf and Kedzie);

            -Members of the Wisconsin Assembly, especially the Representative from your District;

                        -Speaker Michael Huebsch;
                        -Minority Leader James Kreuser;
                        -Members of the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities
                          (Reps. Montgomery, Petersen, Hahn, Honadel, Davis, Nerison,
                          Zepnick, Staskunas, Steinbrink, and Soletski)  

These local officials should hear from you as well;

      -Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz;
            -Members of the Madison Common Council;
            -Members of the Broadband Telecommunications Regulatory Board;
            -Members of the Dane County Board;

7.  How can you contact these people?  Simply send your letter to Madison City Channel and we will forward it on to the appropriate officials.  We want to make it as simple as possible for you to express your support for Madison City Channel and PEG programming in Wisconsin in general.

8.  If you would like to contact any or all of these officials directly (or by phone), please follow these links:

Mayor's Office;  http://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/

Common Council:  http://www.cityofmadison.com/council/alders.html

BTRB:  http://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/100600.html

Dane County Board:   http://www.co.dane.wi.us/coboard/supervisors.asp

WI State Senate : http://www.legis.state.wi.us/leginfo/contact/EmailDirectory.aspx?house=senate

WI Assembly:   http://www.legis.state.wi.us/leginfo/contact/EmailDirectory.aspx?house=assembly

(If you plan to email them directly, we ask that you cc Madison City Channel at citichannel@cityofmadison.com)

Thank you so much for your help! 
Brad Clark
Station Manager
Madison City Channel

TAKE ACTION NOW: