HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10-15 - AGENDA REPORTS - CABLE RENEWAL PROCESS (2)CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO: y r FeW & Councilmembers
FROM:en Puls am�eri City Manager
DATE: October 15, 2002
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CITY'S CABLE RENEWAL PROCESS AND RECOMMENDED
RENEWAL OBJECTIVES
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council review and discuss cable television renewal objectives. Upon initiation of
negotiations, staff will return to Council with frequent updates and direction as needed.
BACKEND
When the City incorporated in 1987, it adopted County Ordinance 87-0134F with American
Television & Communications Corp. and County Ordinance 87-0169F with King Video
Cable Co. for cable services. After a series of transfers, the cable franchisees became AOL
Time Warner Communications and AT&T Broadband. The City's cable franchise
agreements will expire within the next year and a half. AOL Time Warner's franchise
expires August 1, 2003, and AT&T's franchise is set to expire on November 7, 2003.
The City began the renewal process in 2001 by completing a Request For Proposal and
selecting Telecommunications Management Corporation (TMC) for cable franchise
consulting services. TMC produced the following work products to assist with the cable
franchise renewal process:
• Franchise Fee Audit of Time Warner, May 2001
• Technical Evaluation of AT&T and Time Warner, July 2001
• Franchise Compliance Audit of Time Warner, August 2001
• Franchise Fee Audit of AT&T, August 2001
• Franchise Compliance Audit of AT&T, August 2001
• Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Needs Assessment, May 2002
In addition to the reports produced by TMC, the City, along with TMC, conducted a series
Of community meetings with the public, representatives of the City government, and
educational institutions to seek input regarding cable issues. Additionally, a statistically
valid phone survey of cable subscribers was conducted. The following is
listing of public outreach meetings: a chronological
Agenda Item: /.
TELECOMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
CORPORATION FOR CABLE FRANCHISE
October 15, 2002 — Page 2
• Cable Needs Assessment with representatives of local school districts, December 2001
• Public meeting at the Jo Anne Darcy Canyon Country Library, January 2002
• Public meeting at the Valencia Library, January 2002
• City Council Study Session, February 2002
• Cable Needs Assessment with Susan Shapiro of Channel 20, March 2002
• Cable Needs Assessment with College of the Canyons, March 2002
• Cable Needs Assessment with Sheriff representative, Don Rodriguez, March 2002
• Cable Needs Assessment with Fire Department representative, Steve Lindsay,
April 2002
• Cable Needs Assessment with Mayor Frank Ferry, April 2002
• Telephone survey of cable television subscribers, April 2002
• In addition to the above meetings, the City keeps an ongoing database of all complaints
received by the City regarding both cable companies.
A tremendous amount of data was collected as a result of the aforementioned meetings.
Based on feedback from various agencies, the public and the findings of reports completed
by the City's cable consultant, TMC, and staff propose the following key renewal objectives:
• Customer service standards are needed to help guarantee cable operator performance.
• Adequate channel capacity and facilities are needed to continue traditional one-way
cablecasting and possibly to expand such programming in the future, if desired.
• Bi-directional connections at locations throughout the City are needed to permit the live
cablecasting of programming.
• Adequate PEG Access support funding is needed that would permit the acquisition of
new cablecasting facilities (or to enhance existing facilities) and equipment.
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS
1. Direct staff to consider alternative renewal objectives as identified by the Council.
2. Other actions as directed by Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this action.
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