HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-CAC-rpt Annual Report.pdf CATV AND COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITtEE
Annual Report 1994
Rn1e of rhe rrh)e Telev4'inn fi Cnmmnniratinns A.Rvicory rnmmittee i . 1) to advise
on implementing cable television, 2) to watch over the performance of the licensee
-- A-R Cable Services, Inc (d.b a "Cablevision") , 3) to represent the Town in
Contractual Relationships with the licensee, 4) to be ombudsman for cable system
users, 5) to oversee the use of,the Institutional Trunk connecting municipal and
school buildings, and 6) to analyze and advise concerning communications within the
Town
A new re-p ne11141 ry 4. emerging for the Committee - assisting in the management of
the Tow; s growing information handling network, interconnecting with Internet, all
dedicated toward steering the Town toward participation in the "information
superhighway" of the future.
rahle TV prnvirtee mit ryne. of gervire not offered by local commercial TV
broadcasters a) redistribution of local broadcasts to produce higher quality
images, b) wider spectrum of entertainment programs, c) access to programs produced
by citizens, religious organizations and other Town activities, d) professional
production ("local origination") of programs of local interest, e) communication
between Town and citizen and f) digital and video communication between various town
functions -- schools, libraries, town offices, etc This last service (or
"Institutional Net") produces significant cost savings to the Town.
In rhe fl.t„re, cable can provide additional safety, communication and utilitarian
services, since 60-65% of the Town's residences and over 500 locations within the
Town buildings are already "hard-wired" to the system. It remains to be seen how
these services will be implemented and how the Committee will be able to contribute
in this area
Re-regulation of rete "nel nronram t1Pring are a continuing problem for subscribers
and the Committee Some types of subscriber complaints have dropped off as
explanations of changes have been issued. Formal complaints have been filed with
the State of Mass and the Federal Communications Commission on issues the Committee
feels need to be clarified and/or corrected. The Town and Cablevision continue to
wait for decisions and clarification.
• • .. . The current license expires in 1996, and
the renewal process takes up to 3 years.
rave new of la al wvan a his increased, but there is a severe shortage of volunteers
to help with production.
Town ecmmunicarians have been and are being addressed, especially in the form of 1)
improvements in the "Institutional Net" which interconnects all Town facilities, 2)
technical consulting regarding Fire and Police dispatch, 3) expansion of fiberoptic
public utility cabling within the Town and 4) appointment, by the Board of
Selectmen, of a Network Supervisor and most importantly, 5) discussions are being
held on how these services will be funded when current grants which fund them
expire
MP.nhPr" "n4 rheit "rp.1. 09 noncom(; Jlslian Buasgang('93 Chair, regulations) , John
Cunha (local programming), Lionel Fray (license renewal), Jane Gharibian ('94 Co-
Chair, operations), Theodore Mairson (information technology) , William Spencer
(network management) , Martha Stanton (schools), Sara Schoman (local access,
resigned) , Julie Triessl (library) , Julie Longcope (information technology, Town) ,
Caleb Warner ('94 Co-chair, (resigned) subscriber net) . Technical Consultants
Byron Blanchard, Paul Nesbeda. Advisors. Sara Schoman, (local access), Caleb
Warner (general history, advancing technology) Liaison from the Board of
Selectmen. Leo McSweeney
AP
ubmitted to Lexington Town Meeting, March 1995 by the Cable Television and
Communications Advisory Committee