Mentor Community Television Channels Threatened by State Law

Mentor's community television stations are being threatened by a state law that could eliminate local access, including the city’s PEG (public, education and government) channels. The law would also make it more expensive for local channels to stream local content through cable company lines, such as Time Warner Cable or AT&T.

"The PEG channels were granted to cities as a requirement of the Cable Act years ago," said Kathie Pohl, Mentor's director of marketing and community relations and overseer of the Mentor Channel. "We've been operating since 1990, but it was on the air long before that."

There are an estimated 5,000 PEG channels in the United States that serve local communities in a variety of important ways, such as televising city council
and county board meetings and hearings. Local school districts also operate PEG channels to broadcast school board meetings and forums, homework helpers, lectures, and sporting events not otherwise aired on television.

On May 5 the federal Community Access Preservation Act (CAP Act), H.R. 1746 was introduced by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D‐WI) and Congressman Steve LaTourette (R‐OH). Mentor City Council will introduce legislation in support of the resolution at its first meeting in June, Pohl said.

The federal bill was introduced to counter state cable laws that went into effect several years ago in 20 states. In Ohio, former Gov. Ted Strickland signed state Senate Bill 117 into effect in June of 2007.

The law, which prohibits cable franchising by local government authorities, mandated changes that have been implemented in steps. Pohl said if nothing changes, the next step would allow cable franchises to start charging for streaming.

"Right now, Time Warner carries our channel on Channel 12, " Pohl said. "They do not charge. AT&T, however, does charge for us to transmit our channel to them. They wanted $600 a month in order to put the channel on their system, but we don't pay that. We rent a line from Time Warner at a far reduced rate and we're paying Time Warner to transmit onto the AT&T U-verse system."

If LaTourette's bill is passed, it will take away that financial burden, Pohl said, and it will allow all PEG operators transmit without a charge. Monthly, it would save Mentor more than $200.

It would also erase the distinction between what money can be used for operating or capital costs. Passage would also save jobs.

"There are access centers that are closing down, especially in Southern Ohio," Pohl said. "It could save or create over 8,000 jobs nationwide. That's something that's very real and in Cincinnati and its suburbs. They are looking at this as a critical issue."

Avon Lake is also dealing with the same issue. Fran Fisher, the city's cable access manager, is urging residents concerned about losing PEG stations to contact Congresswoman Betty Sutton.

“This would be real harm,” , noting that the annual total cost of operation could result in city council opting to shut down local access.