Note: Grand Rapids, Michigan is home to one of the most vibrant community media centers in the country, founded by the late Dirk Koning. The video franchise signed into law is a shameful affront to the memory of Dirk and others who have struggled to improve media at the local level.

from: Ron Suarez Blog [1]

Cable Bill Threatens Community Access and Leaves Out Net Neutrality

From Ron Suarez Blog, January 25, 2007

I will soon be participating in the Cable Commission and I have a couple of serious concerns that span from the local to the national agenda. The newly passed Michigan Cable Bill takes away State funding for our Community Access and also did nothing to support Net Neutrality. Beware of astroturf groups (pretending to be grassroots) who are funded by AT&T or your cable provider. Also read this May 2, 2006 NY Times Editorial.

Senator Birkholz’s statement is as follows:

As we have had some very deliberative debates today on this huge issue before us, I want to again remind my members about the net neutrality issue and how important it is to consumers across the state, especially those in the more rural and suburban areas. Yes, this needs to be addressed by the federal government. Yes, the federal government is working on it, but as we know, the federal government lately has been very slow to react to states’ needs. We as states have found ourselves leading the federal government, not being behind them in the parade.

Unfortunately, we do not have the net neutrality amendment on this bill, but it is still very important for us to look at in the future. It’s become known as the Google amendment and they feel very strongly that Michigan needs to ensure Michigan’s consumers access to all forms of video services, not just those that are offered by cable and phone companies. But they have also indicated their support of increased competition for Michigan consumers and decided they have no desire to derail the whole process.

So, in deference to them and to my constituents who have e-mailed me, snail-mailed me, and phoned me about this very issue because they feel so strongly, I have decided that I would not put the amendment on, as you know. We’ve also been in contact with the Governor’s office. It’s my understanding that the Governor’s office has suggested to Google and the other supporters of net neutrality that they will take up the bill again next year in stand-alone legislation. Therefore, I did not put the amendment on, but I want members to be aware of the fact that this is a huge issue facing us and we need to continue to work on it in the future.

Regarding funding cuts, one of my constituents asks: 1) How much money are we losing to the video franchise act? 2) How many people do we fire to make up the money? He notes that we should not use the reserves, that’s for equipment replacement. Ann Arbor has managed to have money in reserve for CTN (Community Television Network).

Please post your comments and definitely let me know if you are an activist in one of these areas.