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Mass. hearing spotlights urgent push to modernize funding for community media
Summary
At a joint committee hearing, local media leaders, municipal officials and legislators urged the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology to modernize how community access television is funded as cable revenues decline and stations face potential closures.
Senators and state representatives, community media executives and municipal officials told the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity on Wednesday that community access television stations across Massachusetts face a funding crisis as viewers abandon cable services.
The hearing focused on a set of bills including House Bill 91, House Bill 106 and Senate Bill 41 that would update franchise-fee rules so streaming services that use public rights of way would contribute toward local public-access, education and government (PEG) operations. Rob Chapman, executive director of BCTV in Beverly and a MassAccess board member, said the decline in cable revenue is forcing centers to cut staff and services: "In the past 2 years, WCCA TV in Worcester has lost $287,000 in cable revenue," Chapman said. "We are expected to do more with less."
Supporters said community media centers perform civic functions that are not easily replaced by private streaming or shrinking local newspapers.…
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