The Cable Franchise Agreement Is of Strategic Importance to the Progressive Movement

The Cable Franchise Agreement Is of Strategic Importance to the Progressive Movement in Fresno
By Mike Rhodes

Progressive activists and organizations currently have no unfiltered voice on local television. They are effectively locked out of the medium used by the majority of area residents for news and entertainment. A new agreement between the County of Fresno and Comcast Cable could include a public-access channel and community media center, which would give you the ability to communicate with over 100,000 subscribers and their families with your message of peace and social and economic justice.

The County of Fresno is on the verge of settling the franchise agreement with Comcast and it does not provide a public-access channel or community media center. The county is asking Comcast for a government channel, so they can give you the information they want you to know. The county might include an education channel in the agreement, but even that is not certain. This important decision will be made at a meeting on Tuesday, December 6, at the Hall of Records, which is located in Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno. The time of the meeting, which was not available at press time, will be posted to < http://www.fresnoalliance.com/Dec6 > when it is available. You can also call the clerk of the Board of Supervisors at (559) 488-3529 or email her at bseidel [at] co.fresno.ca.us to inquire about the time of the meeting. The outcome of this meeting will determine the progressive movement’s access to the mainstream media for the next 5–10 years (the likely length of the franchise agreement).

If you care about getting your message out to the community on the cable network, you need to do two things:

1. Contact your representative on the Board of Supervisors and tell him or her that public, education, and government channels and a community media center need to be included in the franchise agreement with Comcast. Contact information is below.
2. Attend the December 6 Board of Supervisors meeting, where there will be an opportunity for public input.

You can contact your representative on the Board of Supervisors by calling:

Phil Larson at (559) 488-3541
Susan Anderson at (559) 488-3542
Henry Perea at (559) 488-3663
Judy Case at (559) 488-3664
Bob Waterston at (559) 488-3665