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New York State Strategy Session for the Future of Community Media & Media Justice
May 12, 2007 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT
As part of the all day event interAct Troy! (an all day skill share and community celebration), the Alliance for Community Media NYS Chapter, NY Media Alliance, and saveaccess.org invite you to New York State Strategy Session for the Future of Community Media & Media Justice featuring Betty Yu (Manhattan Neighborhood Network), Dee Dee Halleck (PPTV/Deep Dish TV), George Stoney (“Father of Community TV”), Michael Eisenmenger (SaveAccess.org), and Steve Pierce (NY Media Alliance). [A preliminary strategy session will take place Friday, May 11th from 2-6pm.]
As you may know, there is pending New York statewide franchise legislation that could negatively impact our local communities, Community Access TV and our public interest media. At the end of the 2006, as legislation stalled in Washington, phone companies started to pass statewide video franchises that would undermine Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Access TV and “economically redline” low-income and rural communities. In more than twenty states, statewide franchise legislation have been adopted or proposed, having the same negative impact on PEG Access TV. Then early this year, in another devastating blow to PEG Access, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a favorable position to the telephone companies, supporting the elimination of local franchises and local control of PEG Access.
New York State, like many other states, is facing a fast-tracked video franchise bill that could eliminate or weaken local municipal control of the “public rights of way”and PEG Access TV. Unlike other states where franchise legislation is being written almost entirely by the telephone companies to suit their own interests, the NY ‘Omnibus Telecommunications Act’ (A3980-B) has a broadband initiative that is being supported by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and several other public interest groups. The bill is long way from it’s final form and could change radically once cable and telephone companies become more involved.
We must come together to ensure that this legislation protects our interests as local residents, PEG Access producers and community media activists to ensure the future of our communities’ media tools!
We are committed to lowering the barriers to access for events at The Sanctuary for Independent Media. For people who are hard of hearing or deaf, blind or low-vision, or whose physical limitations can interfere with a satisfying experience, let us know two weeks in advance so we can make appropriate arrangements.
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