8
Dec
2023

November 1, 2023 Minutes

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Cable Television Advisory Council

Minutes for Wednesday, November 1, 2023 6:00 pm

ZOOM

Attendance:     Johnes Ruta, Chair (New Haven)

Tom Costa, Advisor, (New Haven Library System)

Melissa Canham-Clyne (Hamden), EXCUSED

Peaches Quinn, Advisor, (New Haven)

George Alexander – Hamden

  1. Call to order 6:02 pm
  2. Minutes – Motion to approve October minutes

Correction: Check to NHPL was for $900. During same meeting $1,000 was approved for Partnerships.

Motion to accept corrected minutes: Tome; seconded, George. Minutes approved

 

  • Treasurer’s Report (George )
    1. Balance: $3,880.46
    2. October meeting expense- $137.94

Motion to accept Treasurer’s report – Peaches; seconded, Tom. Report approved

 

  1. CTV – Executive Director Joseph Schofield
  2. CTV is pushing through setbacks. Have now recovered about one third of producers (lost to COVID extended shutdown). Staff is performing many functions to recover. Goal: By end of June be back to 100% performance.
  3. Since June, 2022, all studios statewide are under review by state legislative study group. Many questions are being asked. Joe was just notified a draft of their report is being released. There are no recommendations just data/info gathering (30 pages) for legislator consideration.

Report provides a full picture of options for public access (studio) funding. Cable companies would prefer public access goes away with the claim audience isn’t there.  To date, no specifics on basis of that conclusion. *

CTV has been continuing to receive quarterly checks. The amount has dwindled, but currently stable (as subscribers drop cable). One proposed option: turn over public access operations to the towns. Joe’s belief, shared by others, is such a move would be disastrous and not in the best interest of sustaining public access operation.

*Note: Cable companies pay 5% of their revenue to the state, but not all  the 5% actually goes to public access.

Per Joe, best scenario: charge a fee to cable and internet only customers. CTV also looking at merits of establishing a “subscription” membership to generate revenue

  1. Joe believes all public access studios will organize to lobby legislators.
  2. Joe felt by January, our meetings could return to CTV studio.
  3. Comcast – Representative Amy Horan (not in attendance)

George reported Comcast now recognizes customer history across changing addresses.

 

  1. Old Business

Facebook- No update

Website – Latest minutes are uploaded (September)

Our CTV/CTAC PSA – No activity. Assume it’s defunct

 

  • Subscriber Issues – George

None

  • Adjournment:
  1. Next Meeting – December 6 – Wood n Tap, Hamden
  2. Motion to adjourn: George; seconded, Peaches

Adjourned 7:12pm

Respectfully submitted: PQ