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. Representative Margaret Scarsdale (First Middlesex District) said local stations provide a “lifeline” for seniors and residents who cannot attend meetings in person, and noted that several towns have lost local weekly newspapers. "Our community media centers are there to broadcast local government meetings, high‑school sports and to keep residents connected," Scarsdale said.

Station leaders described specific local work: Rob Chapman and others recounted student training programs that feed regional media jobs; Peter Padula, executive director of Chelmsford Telemedia, said alumni now work at major production operations; Sean Sayre, executive director of Pittsfield Community Television, warned that nearly 12.4% of his center's cable revenue was lost in two years and predicted further cuts to staff and services if funding is not updated. "We can't bake sale our way out of this," Sayre said.

Municipal officials told the committee that franchise fees are compensation for using public infrastructure and that streaming companies currently avoid similar contributions. Belmont Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne said the change should not be viewed as a new tax on consumers but as a usage fee: "Streaming companies are using public infrastructure, and they are using it for free. That is not fair," she said. MassAccess leaders asked the committee to direct funds to PEG centers and create an independent, data‑driven assessment to set distributions.

Several witnesses also noted the broader civic and economic impact: Tina Lagarde of Urban Media Arts in Malden said her organization eliminated three full‑time positions this year because of lost revenue; Glenn Williams of Boston Neighborhood Network described local programming that connects residents to civic life; representatives of Nantucket, Lynn, Fitchburg and Westwood described similar revenue declines and program cuts. The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and other civic groups urged a favorable vote to sustain government transparency and voter information.

The committee heard technical and policy questions on implementation, including whether municipalities would absorb costs if streaming fees were not collected, how revenue would be distributed, and whether legal definitions of "streaming entertainment providers" would be broad enough to capture future business models. MassAccess and local station leaders emphasized that the proposed measures were designed to replicate the long‑standing principle that providers using public rights of way pay for that use.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing; the committee recorded extensive oral and written testimony and signaled further work in committee on statutory language and implementation mechanisms. Several lawmakers urged a timely recommendation. "We've hit a critical tipping point," Representative Joan Meschino said. "Demand for this programming is up and funding is down."

A wide group of municipalities, nonprofit media centers and civic organizations told the committee they regard the bills as an urgent step to avoid permanent closures of local stations.