• To understand the role of the Cable Advisory Council
• To understand the role of regulations
• To preserve and improve the level of community access.

Letter to the Editor (August 2010):

The League of Women Voters Litchfield County (LWVLC) is following with great interest the campaign Stephen Simonin as chairman of the Litchfield County Cable Advisory Board (CAB), is waging to upgrade the quality of television reception in our area. We applaud his efforts to hold down consumer cost. LWVLC is, however, concerned with the narrow focus of the petition currently circulating.

The League believes that community access television channels - for public, educational, and governmental programming - must be adequately protected, promoted, and funded, regardless of the provider of TV/video services to Connecticut residents. Statewide public affairs programming , such as provided by the Connecticut Network (VT-N), must be adequately protected, promoted and funded by the state legislature and be available to all Connecticut residents, regardless of the provider of TV/video services. Government should provide opportunities for citizen participation in decisions regarding community access, or PEG TV. Local cable advisory boards are the vehicle for such participation. We ask that our CAB be more diligent when it comes to the promotion of PEG programming.

Access to the public airwaves through modern TV/video communication is essential to public interest and to League of Women Voters and to civil liberties, to ensure open, transparent government, and to promote the publics right to know. To protect the public interest, high quality PEG transmission and PEG availability on basic service tiers are essential.

The league would like to see CAB brought up to its full strength of 23 members. The problem of program content can and should be addressed by a full board with active representation for all eligible entities.

Patricia Donovan
President
LWV, Litchfield

 

Research information

Dept Public Utility Control - Video Service Statutes

Connecticut History of Cable TV Regulation