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Board of Commissioners Page Three <br /> May 15, 1987 <br /> expiration of the franchise of Carolina Cable. This <br /> will enable Orange County to renegotiate any franchise <br /> extension with both cable operators at the same time . <br /> In that regard, Section 546 of the Cable Communications <br /> Policy Act of 1984 provides, in subsection a, as <br /> follows : <br /> During the six-month period which begins with the <br /> thirty-sixth month before the franchise <br /> expiration, the franchising authority may on its <br /> on initiative, and shall at the request of the <br /> cable operator, commence proceedings which afford <br /> the public in the franchise area appropriate <br /> notice and participation for the purpose of- <br /> ( 1) identifying the future cable-related <br /> community needs and interests; and <br /> (2) reviewing the performance of the cable <br /> operator under the franchise during the then <br /> current franchise term. <br /> Following these proceedings there are procedures for <br /> submission of renewal proposals and action on renewal <br /> proposals which I can make available to the Board and <br /> will, if not sooner, in time for this process . The <br /> point of this is that we ' re approximately five years <br /> away from renewal procedures for Carolina Cable and, if <br /> a franchise is granted to Alert, for Alert. <br /> I have also enclosed a proposed franchise <br /> amendment to the franchise of Carolina Cable which <br /> amendment relieves Carolina Cable of the obligation to <br /> overbuild to the same extent and under the same <br /> conditions as Alert is relieved of an obligation to <br /> overbuild . Further, the amendment to Carolina Cable ' s <br /> franchise encourages Carolina Cable to cooperate with <br /> Alert in sharing and providing local origination <br /> programming. <br /> Finally I 'd like to recommend that the Board <br /> consider establishing a Cable TV Advisory Committee on <br /> an ongoing basis . This committee could serve the <br /> function of ",catch-doging" the operations of the cable <br /> franchisees in Orange County, making recommendations <br /> concerning programming and service to the County and <br /> generally providing comment and insight into cable <br />