Agenda - 09-02-2003-9a - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

2 The proposed agreement incorporates the following key provisions deemed important to the BOCC: Establishes a ten (10) year term. Generally, longer terms are considered for more favorable concessions by the franchise grantee. The negotiating team believes that ten years is reasonable and appropriate in view of Time Warner's unwillingness to yield on significant PEG, cable system extension and other issues. Requires the grantee to extend services to any household where the number of occupied homes, and homes for which certificates of occupancy have been issued, equals at least 18 homes per street mile. Time Warner officials resist inclusion of housing density language and assert that the corporation should only have to extend services when and if it makes good business or economic sense to do so. Requires the grantee to designate a PEG (Public, Educational, Government) access channel for sole use by the County for countywide live and recorded telecasts of Board meetings and other government access programming. Time Warner has not been willing to provide an Orange County government access channel on its system that can be viewed by all County residents. A full time countywide government access channel would be more advantageous than a shared channel with respect to the development and promotion of government services to the greater Orange County community, not just the unincorporated areas. Requires the grantee to design and install equipment to provide signal transportation for County Board meeting telecasts on a designated PEG channel that originate from Southern Human Services Center or the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom. The Board has had a longstanding interest in the "capitalization" of County facilities used for public meetings, particularly those of the legislative process. Time Warner has offered only to address this issue separately or "off line" of the franchise ordinance/agreement. Sets forth the County's option to approve a monthly PEG Access fee upon basic cable service subscribers of 25 cents for years 1-5 of the franchise, and 35 cents for years 6-10. Such a fee would be applied by the grantee to customer bills only upon request by the Board. Fees collected could be used to support PEG Access facilities and equipment. Time Warner has been disinclined to include any subscriber "pass through" fee in an Orange County franchise agreement, although similar language appears in the Carrboro and Hillsborough franchise agreements. Federal law allows the County to require the cable operator provide capital equipment funds, the cost of which can either be absorbed by the operator or passed on to its customers. Sets forth the County's option to approve an operating expense support fee for PEG Access of up to a maximum of $2.00 per month per subscriber. Under this provision, the Board would have the opportunity, if it chose, to have the grantee collect a monthly fee from its customers that would be used to contract with a non profit such as The People's Channel, as does the Town of Chapel Hill, to provide pubic access television programs. Time Warner has been disinclined to include any subscriber "pass through" fee in an Orange County franchise agreement.