March 2011

[Commentary] More than 3,000 Public, Educational and Government access (PEG) channels across the nation provide a vital platform for community-produced video from full coverage of local town halls, to student-produced shows about topics that matter to their campus, to city council meetings and debates.

PEG stations feature programming that may not be considered commercially profitable, or may be considered too “local” for news outlets that serve millions of viewers or readers, or too controversial for giving voice to political views not considered mainstream. But the programming on these stations is critical in creating an engaged, informed and active community. Unfortunately, PEG stations are under attack in states across the nation. At the urging of cable and phone companies, more than 17 states passed legislation in recent years that strip their municipalities of the right to negotiate franchising agreements that led to the creation of PEG stations. According to a recent report by the Alliance for Community Media, these state laws have devastated community media stations across the country. 20% of the stations surveyed in those states reported funding decreases that have led to cuts in service. Respondents from 17 communities in 8 different states report loss of PEG facilities. Comcast used state franchise law as the excuse to close all of its PEG facilities in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan in September of 2007. This is despite very healthy profits from major telecommunications companies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, even during the recession. PEG stations that survived have also reported being mistreated by the cable providers, such as by making it difficult for viewers to find the channels and access the programming.

Where is the public benefit in state legislation that weakens consumer protections, threatens community programming, does nothing to lower cable rates or improve customer service?

Federal legislation will soon be re-introduced in the 112th Congress to address some of the mistreatment of PEG stations by video service providers, and state legislators can help by urging their federal Representatives to co-sponsor the bill, the Community Access Preservation Act. State legislators should also consider taking a second look at existing state video franchising legislation, and propose changes to the laws to un-do the harm to PEG stations. Finally, state legislators should look closely at any bills that purport to create “competition” in the video marketplace, but that actually just strip communities of important consumer protections and opportunities for freedom of expression.

A federal judge in Denver has approved a class-action settlement that will dismiss shareholder lawsuits filed against Qwest and proposed merger partner CenturyLink, a Qwest spokeswoman said.

The judge "indicated that he'll issue the order next week and it'll become effective March 17," said spokeswoman Diane Reberger. After Qwest and CenturyLink announced plans for a $22 billion merger in April, 17 shareholder suits were filed against the companies. In general, the lawsuits allege that the merger doesn't adequately compensate Qwest investors. The cases were consolidated and assigned to U.S District Judge Wiley Daniel. Under terms of the settlement, Qwest and CenturyLink agreed to provide additional disclosures about the merger, which was included in a regulatory filing in July. The companies also agreed to cover attorney fees.

India has flabbergasted the entire world with its successful emulation of the alien concept of democracy which was borrowed from the West by the nation-builders. There were a number of clairvoyance pertaining to the short-life of the Indian democracy. Some thinkers had in fact predicted that the Indian nation would subsequently break down under the mounting pressure of democracy but kudos to our leaders; we managed to pull through quite decently, if not more. Democracy entails necessary participation which in turn demands politically active people aware of what is happening around them. As says Aristotle, “A citizen is the one who plays the dual role of the ruler as well as the subject” i.e. a responsible citizen is the one who necessarily participates in the process of governance. Herein lies the importance of the role the media i.e. the fourth estate needs to play in a parliamentary democracy such as ours.

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district is anticipating a 15-20 percent reduction in the funding it gets from the state, Superintendent Doug Heuer said. “We've been told the wealthier districts can expect larger cuts, and we are in the top 15 percent in wealth (in the state), according to the latest Ohio School Facilities Commission calculations,” he said. The district receives about $15 million in state funding, which is about 15 percent of its general-fund budget. The money goes into the general operating fund, Heuer said. To offset the loss, the district is looking to reduce expenditures in all areas that do not directly affect academic programs, he said. Shaker Heights Schools finance director Bryan Christman said the district budgeted $400,000 less in state funds for this year than the $14.37 million it received in 2010. The state funds account for 15.4 percent of the district’s budget. The district also has budgeted $8.5 million in receipts through the homestead tax exemption and rollback, which is another state funding source that could be reduced or eliminated altogether.