Montgomery County outlines plan to consolidate local access media under Montgomery Community Television

The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee received a presentation on the county's FY27 cable fund strategic plan, which proposes consolidating Montgomery County's public, education and community access media operations under Montgomery Community Television (MCT) and updating the county's master contract to reflect declining franchise revenues.

Derek Kenny, Community Engagement Manager for TEBS, told the committee that “at its core, the strategy aims to consolidate the county's community and education access of media operations under a single external organization, which is Montgomery Community Television.” He said the proposal is intended to preserve services while building sustainability and digital-equity programs.

Joe Webster, Chief Broadband Officer, summarized how the cable fund was created and why revenues are falling: “franchise fee revenues have been declining steadily and fairly dramatically as cord cutting, cord shaving and cord never, continues to happen,” he said, adding that revenues are shrinking at “about 2% per quarter.” Webster said the decline forces prioritization of core functions and exploration of revenue generation.

Staff said the consolidation path chosen was voluntary: three educational access providers and MCT are working to form a consolidated structure under MCT's 501(c)(3) and existing county contract. TEBS plans to revise the MCT master contract (last broadly updated around 2015) to "right-size" requirements and funding levels and to require letters of agreement between MCT and the educational partners that spell out responsibilities and funding flow.

Chris Kramm, Deputy Chief for the Division of Communications at Montgomery County Public Schools, described talks with MCT as preliminary: “we're at the very beginning of those discussions,” he said, and urged acceleration because school-year planning timelines are tight. Montgomery College's representative, Melissa Pace, said the college is "trying to embrace the new model" and that leadership is focused on retaining staff where possible.

Council members pressed TEBS on sequencing and oversight, asking how letters of agreement between MCT and MCPS/Montgomery College will align with the county's revised master contract and franchise agreements. Kenny said TEBS will act as contract administrator and set requirements and incentives in the updated contract; staff will also consult legal counsel and national partners to align best practices.

Committee members requested that TEBS provide brief monthly updates during the budget process and suggested a short committee letter to inform the full council of progress. No vote was taken on the strategic plan during the meeting.

Next steps: TEBS and MCT will continue negotiations on letters of agreement, TEBS will work with counsel to draft an updated master contract, and the committee will receive ongoing updates as the FY27 operating and capital budget process advances.