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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 26, 2007 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. -7-)p <br />SUBJECT: Status Report: Orange County Government Access Television, Channel 265 <br />DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Gwen Harvey, Assistant County <br />Status Report Manager, 245- 2307 <br />Alan Dorman, Management Analyst, <br />245-2316 <br />PURPOSE: To provide the Board of County Commission with a status report on the operations <br />and management of Orange County Government Access Television, Channel 265. <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County and Time Warner Cable (TWC) signed a new franchise <br />agreement in November 2005. As part of the agreement, Orange County received a government <br />access channel in order to initiate live casting of BOCC meetings to resident subscribers to <br />TWC. Channel 265 is assigned to the digital tier of cable service and converter boxes to enable <br />receipt of Channel 265 have been made available by TWC to non-digital tier resident <br />subscribers at their request. <br />The project begun in early 2006 to equip the BOCC meeting room at Southern Human Services <br />Center in Chapel Hill for live casting has been completed. The first live meeting aired from <br />Southern on March 27, 2007. Next, upon the renovation of the John Link Government Services <br />Center in Hillsborough, will be equipping a permanent BOCC meeting room in that facility. The <br />basic capital costs for that project are an outstanding obligation of TWC under the renewed <br />franchise agreement. As with Southern, the BOCC will be advised of any project enhancements <br />or upgrades to be considered for implementation using whatever supplemental County funding <br />may be desired at that stage in building design. <br />The attached Status Report outlines the present day operations and management of Orange <br />Government Access Television, Channel 265, and offers a perspective on future possibilities, <br />which ultimately will be defined and decided, with appropriate funding and staff supports, by the <br />BOCC. <br />