10/09/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. Mr. Lieuallen wondered if it were definite that Teleprompter would e - have to have a rate increase to cover such things as public access telecasting. Ms. Swenson said studies show that Teleprompter is profitable in the Eugene area without much development; however, they ,have made a commi tment to rectify those thi ngs whi ch the communi ty wants. She noted she had received complaints for four years and the major problem was extension of service, with the franchise succeeding in that area. The second largest complaint was quality of reception. There had been little interest in public access broadcasting until very recently. Mayor Keller felt Council was dealing with a reasonable performance at a level that is better than in the past and at a reasonable cost to the citizens. He said it appeared to be a reasonable franchise that has some checkpoints. He felt the Commission had dealt with the problems in depth regarding public access and perhaps the Council could deal ~ith the issue in the future. Compared to four years ago, there has been substantial improvement in the program and overall this franchise appears to be reasonable. Council Bill 1774--Granting to Teleprompter Corporation a nonexclusive franchise for the operation of a cable communication system and declaring an emergency was read by number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read e the second time by council bill number only on October 23, 1978, and that enactment be considered at that time. Mr. 'Delay felt the public access question was one which Council should deal with, as he felt it had not been fully addressed. He agreed wi th Mr. Williams regarding dedicated fees to pay for public access. How- ever, he was in favor of the franchise and noted its flexibility to deal with some of the questions raised. Mr. Lieuallen saw the problem as being one of persons wishing public access and looking to future possibilities, as opposed to the Commis- sion dealing with realities and priorities. He felt it very important to consider and move toward public access. He questioned if Eugene were to decrease the term of the franchise from 15 to 10 years, how it would affect the other jurisdictions. Mr. Swanson said if Council were to change the 15-year term franchise, negotiations would have to be reopened. He said it might be possible to have a 10-year franchise but felt other desirable provisions might be eliminated. Vote was taken on the motion which carried with all Councilors present voting aye, except Lieuallen and Bradley voting no. The bill will be read the second time October 23, 1978. e 10/9/78--9 '6C,