08/23/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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M I NUT E S e EUGENE CITY COUNCIL August 23, 1978 Adjourned meeting from August 16, 1978, of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller at 12:00 noon on August 23, 1978, King's Table, Oakway Mall, with the following Council members present: D. W. Hamel, Ray Bradley, Tom Williams, Eric Haws, Jack Delay, Scott Lieua11en, Brian Obie, and Betty Smith. 1. ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL A. Teleprompter Franchise--Mr. Williams commented that he feels the franchise, in final form, is far superior to anything he would have dreamed possible. He said the article in the Register-Guard regard- ing the franchise is accurate, in that it indicated there was a five-year review process; in fact, there is a three-year mandatory review process. He mentioned another matter of concern, that being whether an experimental Public Broadcasting Service should be funded by the rate-bearers of the franchise area. He said the Commission has determined that right now it would not be funded through a locked- in long-term grant. A third area of concern is whether a failure in the cable system can trigger a private engineer to analyze it. If e in the judgment of the Commission there is a need for a private engineer, the Commission can do it at its discretion and charge it to Teleprompter. Mr. Williams is pleased with the outcome of the negotiations and the job done by the Commission and the City Attorney's office. Mr. Delay wondered if the three-year review period would be ongoing or a one-time shot. Mr. Williams answered that the review would take place every three years. Mr. Delay also wondered what process' there would be, should the franchise prove ineffective. Mr. Williams responded that provisions for level of service provide that what other franchises provide should be included in the data during any arbi- tration procedure. Mr. Delay also had a question regarding public access. Mr. Williams responded that the franchise provides that Teleprompter will make available all but 18 hours a week on KOZY that is reserved for religious programming. As soon as the system goes to the 20-channe1 system (which is expected in 1980), up to three additional channels will be provided for public access. Teleprompter is obligated to make the facilities available to anyone wanting to produce something to go on the system at a reasonable charge. Teleprompter is also obligated to provide a black-and-white camera free for anyone wanting to produce something for public access. Mr. Williams added that most would argue it is poor government - . 8/23/78--1 ~ 513 --