Orange County NC Website
4 <br />1 <br />5. The cable companies should have the technical capacity to <br />cablecast Orange County government boards and commissions, <br />such as the Board of County Commissioners. <br />6. The Committee has found substantial concern by Orange <br />County residents to have a clear and consistent policy on <br />expansion into the county by the cable companies. There is <br />now confusion and anger on the apparent inconsistency of <br />expansion policies. The committee recommends that the <br />cable companies prepare statistical projects on future <br />expansion for presentation to the County Commissioners. <br />This period in the development of technology is very difficult <br />if one is charged with predicting the future and writing 15 year <br />franchises. When the present franchise was written, the possibility <br />of high definition television was not imagined. It is a reality now <br />what remains is to achieve an agreement on standards. There is also <br />a possibility of another player in the business of the delivery of <br />television signals into the home with the approval by the Federal <br />Communications commission of the development of a wide range of <br />information services, including television, by the telephone <br />companies. Whether local government would have any role in <br />regulation of this new television service is not clear. <br />While cable television is operated by private, profit making <br />business that must consider cost and profitability when making <br />capital expenditures, the county has a responsibility to act as <br />stewards for its citizens and assure, as much as possible, that <br />their communication needs will be met at minimum cost to citizen <br />users. <br />Cable TV Citizens Advisory Committee <br />Robert J. Gwyn, chairman <br />Edwin Riley <br />Marvin Siler <br />Norman Vogel <br />Lawson Wynne <br />Dr. Gloria Berry -Holly <br />Sharlene Pilkey <br />Donna T. Hales <br />Meetings: April 23, 1991 <br />June 14, 1991' <br />August 14, 1991 <br />October 23, 1991 <br />January 15, 1992 <br />