Center for Media and Democracy News Archives | Center for Media and Democracy

Alliance for Community Media says FCC Cable Vote Will Harm Local Media

August 02, 2019

The proposed rules would allow cable companies to assign market values to these benefits and then charge the amount back to local communities in most cases. Benefits include items like free cable subscriptions to schools, discounts for the elderly, and fiber connectivity to local government buildings like police departments, fire stations, and libraries.

More Senators Issue Letters of Opposition on Proposed FCC Rules of Cable Franchising

July 30, 2019

The FCC meeting will be streamed live on Thursday, August 1st, starting at 10:30 am ET. You can watch the stream at www.fcc.gov/live. We will be coordinating a roundtable discussion about the rule and other efforts to overturn local authority and silence community voices at DCTV in Washington on Thursday from 3:00 - 5:00 pm ET. We will be recording the discussion for your use and will update you as soon as the URL is available for a livestream.

FCC Updates on Draft Rules for Cable Access TV

July 22, 2019

Perhaps the biggest loss for communities in the Order is the preemption of local governments from being able to tax telecommunications services provided by the cable industry even though the right of way is being used. This specifically seeks to defund local communities who have the ability under their state law to tax all telecom providers equally and now creates a disparity between cable and non-cable providers.

PEG TV Summer Study Committee Meets to Discuss Potential Funding Sources

July 12, 2019

On June 20th, Governor Phil Scott signed the Broadband Bill - now Act 79 of 2019 - in Dover, Vermont. This new law aims to expand access to broadband services and also includes a Study Committee that will consider issues related to the future availability and funding of Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) access television.

Local Media Matters More Than Ever.

July 08, 2019

Together, we can assure that local media continues to matter. Learn more at www.cctv.org/donate

Bernie Speaks To The Community Viral Video

May 10, 2019

CCTV Celebrates 35 Years of Free Speech - RSVP Today!

May 07, 2019

Mix, mingle, and dive into the decades at CCTV's 35th-anniversary events on May 30th and June 13th! Looking forward and looking back! Local media now more than ever keeps the democratic muscles in shape.

Channel 17 Goes Live in HD on Burlington Telecom's Channel 217

April 30, 2019

Turn your BT remote to Channel 17's new HD Channel 217 for the latest Burlington coverage.

Congressman Peter Welch Joins Vermont Access Network for a Public Access Roundtable

April 07, 2019

Congressman Peter Welch will join leaders of Vermont’s community media movement for a roundtable discussion of federal threats to public, educational, and government (PEG) access, local franchising authority, and open networks on Monday, April 8th.

Vermont Ranked 11th in the Country for Midterm Election Voter Turnout

March 26, 2019

Voter access policies in Vermont have had a positive impact on voter turnout, making Vermont the 11th state in the country for Midterm Election voter turnout in 2018.

Featured Story

WORK OPPORTUNITY: Town Meeting TV Field Producer

Town Meeting TV is hiring one part-time Field Producer to cover Chittenden County municipal meetings and public events to air on its government access TV channels, YouTube channel, and website (www.Ch17.TV). Meetings typically take place during evening hours with some weekend event coverage. Complete Job Description is available upon request.