03/08/1982 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e for reviews, such as the Eugene/Springfield franchise's triennial reviews, and that these communities are therefore unable to make franchise changes until expiration of the current agreements. Councilor Lindberg said he felt the timing of the community's entry into the cable market seemed to playa major role in what is offered through the cable system. He said that Eugene and Springfield are going to have to strive to catch up with offerings in other systems. He did not want to risk losing the gains that had been made by going into binding arbitration and was therefore inclined to accept the current proposal. Mr. Lindberg asked that the Cable Commission address the following concerns: 1) improvement of public access opportunities, especially for low-income people; 2) creation and protection of markets for non-profit groups and small enterprises that cannot work through commercial television; 3) support of the area's economic development efforts, particularly as they relate to the arts, through creation of local arts-related business enterprises; 4) support for 1981-plus funding for public access--Mr. Lindberg felt that City of Eugene could afford to give up its share of revenues to benefit public access; 5) improvement of the review and regulation processes used by the commission, to provide openness and to allow early identification of and public comment on the issues to be negotiated. e Councilor Miller felt that the existing franchise had some real shortcomings, and that the council was trapped by circumstances into dealing with compromises that had already been made. She felt that the nature and quality of thE representation of the City of Eugene on the Cable Commission were the responsi- bility of the council and that this matter needed to be addressed. She said that the council needed to ask for more frequent reports on cable issues and perhaps to give direction to its representatives regarding voting on particular issues. Ms. Miller responded to the concerns raised by Mr. Hodsdon. She said that telephone and electrical utilities are able to monitor the extent of use of their product through convenience outlets but that Teleprompter is not. She hoped that under the direction of Westinghouse, Teleprompter would become more responsive to the needs of its subscribers. Ms. Miller said that public access television can provide an opportunity for exchange of information and ideas similar to opportunities provided by public schools and public libraries. She supported the 1981-plus funding formula for public access. She agreed that permanent staff must be provided for the Cable Commission. Ms. Miller hoped that secret negotiations could be avoided in the future. She hoped that the structure and funding of the Cable Commission would be addressed during the upcoming discussion of amending current intergovernmental agency arrangements. Councilor Schue agreed with the comments of Ms. Miller and Mr. Lindberg. She underscored the need for adequate staff, with expertise in the area of television, for the Cable Commission. She agreed that the council needed to be better educated on cable issues. She said that she would vote in favor of the current proposal, since she believed that rejecting it would create more problems than it would solve. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 8, 1982 Page 11