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Council discusses TDS franchise funds and PEG channel options; university to run channel if council approves
Summary
Council debated what to do with the $1 per‑video‑subscriber TDS franchise fee (about $730/month): options were to let the university continue limited PEG operations, divert funds to the city for other media work, or amend franchise terms; council signaled support to allow the university to continue operating the channel under a local agreement.
Washington City council members reviewed the status of the local PEG (public, education, government) channel funding after the CEC consortium ceased full operations. Sean (university/CEC representative) described the franchise structure that requires TDS to provide a PEG channel and that historically $1 per video subscriber went to support the channel. With CEC winding down, the same per‑subscriber fee remains in the franchise agreement and will either be paid directly to the municipality or continue to be diverted to an operator.
Sean proposed that the university accept the TDS check and use it (about $730 per month in Washington City) to cover essential channel operations, buy replacement equipment (estimated ~$15,000 for automation upgrades) and seed student scholarships or content. He said the channel could be automated and streamed in other platforms over time but would primarily remain a TDS‑delivered channel in the short term.
Council discussed alternatives: redirect the subscriber fee into city coffers, use it to underwrite the city’s YouTube council/commission broadcasting, or let the university continue limited PEG operations with a simple agreement. Some council members noted the subscriber base is declining and that streaming platforms (YouTube/TikTok) already provide free outreach, but others supported keeping a small PEG presence. The council indicated support for letting the university operate the channel for now and authorized staff to work through the implementing agreement and minutes recording.
