to participate in-person, and for increasing
government transparency through meeting
and election coverage.
Like local commercial media, Community
Media is also facing some challenges that
could impact its future. Because the
primary source of Access TV funding is
tied to cable subscriptions, as more con-
sumers are “cutting the cord” and turning
to streaming services for video content, it
means a gradual decline in revenue. There’s
also a continuing effort on the part of the
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to deregulate the cable industry,
which could have a significant impact on
Community Media Center funding. A
September FCC Order will allow cable
operators to “charge back” some of their
public good obligations against the funds
that centers receive. So your local library’s
complimentary cable TV service could
mean less funding for your local Media
Center. More FCC actions are expected in
the coming year.
Vermont’s Community Media Centers
aren’t sitting idly by, however. Individual
centers are exploring different methods of
funding sustainability, including
revenue diversification and resource
sharing. Meanwhile, the Vermont
Access Network (VAN), the statewide
membership organization for the 25
Media Centers, began working with
legislators in late 2018 in response to the
looming threats from the FCC.
From June to November 2019, VAN was
part of a PEG Access Legislative Study
Committee charged with exploring alter-
nate funding methods for Community
Media in our state. On November 6, the
committee approved draft legislation to
fund an independent study of potential
funding mechanisms and their feasibility.
That legislation will be introduced during
the 2020 legislative session.
comments filed with the Commission, as
well as significant outreach to Senator
Leahy, Senator Sanders, and Representa-
tive Welch, asking them to stand as allies
in Washington against the Order.
That sort of support will be essential
going forward…in filing comments with
the FCC in opposition of new proposed
Orders, in urging Vermont’s Congressional
delegation to speak out against deregula-
tion and for local media, and in reaching
out to state legislators to garner support
for the PEG Access funding study.
When the FCC introduced its Order last
year that could greatly impact Communi-
ty Media Center funding, response from
Vermonters in support of Access TV was
overwhelming. There were hundreds of
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