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"PAC 14: We Need YOU!"
What is PAC 14?
PAC 14, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization provide 'PEG' or Public, Educational, and Government
Access Television services. We serve the Wicomico County and Salisbury
Maryland area. Our programs are
strictly
non-commercial and non-profit. PAC 14 has served the community since Nov. 1998.
What
is Public Access TV?
Where is PAC 14 located?
PAC 14 is located in the East Campus Complex Building, rooms 126-136. Map
Directions
From the intersection of Rt. 13 & Bateman St., take
Bateman St. first right on Wayne St.- to the East Campus Complex on
the corner of Power & Wayne Streets. PAC 14 visitors can park in the
front lot in spaces facing Wayne Street. PAC 14 offices - adjacent
to Nabb Center - enter glass door on left with PAC 14 logo.
Who operates the Access channels?
To
date there is only one combined Access Channel. The day-to-day
operations are managed by a
staff of
three, including the Executive Director. See
Board of
Directors for additional information. PAC 14, Inc. has existed as
a partnership between the City of Salisbury, Wicomico County & Salisbury
University. The current hours of operation are from approximately
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday – Friday.
How is PAC 14 funded?
One of the most frequently asked questions is how is PEG Access and PAC 14 Funded?
PEG Access channels are funded by Franchise Fees, PEG Fees, and cable
related funding - period!
Anyone offering that this is not true is simply incorrect. Find the
facts via links in the information below or call
any telecommunication attorney or related PEG expert.
It's
not a complicated matter, but it can be, simply because of the terms related to
PEG Access funding aren't commonly used. The two most common terms are, 'Franchise
Fee' and 'P.E.G. Fee'.
Before defining those two funding sources
lets step back a few years.
When Congress contemplated the impact and implementation of CATV (cable)
they determined that several important principles must be considered.
First, as cable would primarily deliver distant signals (channels) there
must be channel capacity guaranteed to the local community so they were
not 'locked out'. Thus, the local community component would be PEG
channels.
Second, the PEG channels would be strictly non-commercial and non-profit
to ensure the broadest possible use and remove the typical commercial
barriers. PEG is often referred to as a public "Green Space". So, if
these channels are guaranteed to the community, but are non-commercial,
how are they funded?
There are two basic needs of any PEG TV
service - operational funding and capital funding. Like any business PEG
channels will have operational cost of staff, paper, pencils, lights,
heat, etc. There is also a capital need from which you support the
bricks and mortar needs, facility, studios, cameras, editors, etc.
Lets start with operational funding and
Franchise Fee.
First, PAC 14 receives no
'tax' money. Congress determined that since cable operators would use
the Public Rights of Way (PROW) to run their cable lines, the cable
operators should pay 'rent' for this privilege. It was therefore
established that in compensation for use of the PROW, municipalities
(who hold contracts with cable providers) may receive up to 5% of the
cable operators gross annual revenue. This includes only cable TV
revenues and unfortunately excludes non-video service revenues such as
internet and phone services due to a late 1990's revision of the
existing cable legislation.
The legislation related to
Franchise Fees
clearly indicates the intended use of these fees; one of which is to
support PEG Access operational needs. Currently, PAC 14 receives 1.5% of
the Franchise Fee collected by the City and no fixed percentage of the
Franchise Fee collected by the County; the County's appropriation from
the General Funds. Therefore, PAC 14's operational funds come
from, are intended to come from (since they are collected) this
Franchise Fee -
rent - for use of the public rights of way.
Sadly, updates to cable legislation
permits the cable operators to pass this cost of rent on to the
subscriber. While it is unfair that this cost falls on the subscriber,
eliminating the fee would equate to no compensation at all from the cable
operator. However, if used as intended by Congress, this 'Fee' supports PEG
access needs, as opposed to needs already funded by actual tax dollars.
Therefore you see itemized on your cable bill the individual services,
taxes, and the rent 'Fee'. Nationwide the portion (percentage) of the
franchise fee which is allocated to PEG varies greatly. However, it is
often directly proportional to the subscriber size and PEG funding
needs. Thus, a lesser percentage may be allocated in areas with many
hundreds of thousand subscribers, while a higher percentage may be
allocated in areas with fewer subscribers. Several Western Shore
Maryland Counties receive 2% (of this 5%) or more. An argument can be
made that all of this fee should be used exclusively to fund PEG Access,
and in some cases, oversight of the cable providers. Typically an
official who acts as the liaison between cable and customer to help
satisfy service complaints and compliance issues.
Lets turn to capital
funding and PEG Fees.
As mentioned earlier, PEG operations have bricks and mortar, studios &
major equipment needs. The funds to support this need comes by way of the contracts
(agreements) signed between
municipalities and cable providers. In some cases there are
examples of cable regulatory commissions established to oversee
these obligations.It is often determined that cable
companies over the life of a contract, often 10 to 15 years, will
generate x-amount of revenue. One could roughly estimate by using the
average cable bill, say $100, times the number of subscribers, say
28,000, times 12 months, times 15 years. Given the amount of
revenue/profit that can be generated by a cable operator (or video
provider), local
municipalities request/require compensations in return. One of which
would be capital funds needed to build/equip Community Media facilities.
It can also include additional fiber optic and/or I-Net capacity,
which provides enhanced remote-location accessibility, programming and
instructional capabilities.
PEG
Fee funds are often seen as return on investment to local communities
and
can and often provide a million dollars or more. Where this amount is
provided, and at the moment must be used exclusively for capital needs, it
'may' be passed on to the
subscriber as a per 'cent' cost divided over all subscribers over the
term of the contract. While cable may pass this cost onto the
subscriber, as they are permitted under the current cable legislation,
there is no mandate that they do so. Thus, a PEG Fee is the intended
source of capital funding for Community Access needs. Since no major
capital contributions have been established for PAC 14, Community Access
in our area, no PEG Fee currently exists. To date each subscriber pays a
dollar and/or cents amount for nearly every channel you receive; except PAC 14. We
receive no such funds. However supporters of PAC 14 have offered that
they would be willing to support a dollar (or more) to support PAC
14...noting that cost less than a convenience store soda per month.
As example, other Maryland
communities have received multiple-million dollars to support P.E.G. and
have in turn established Community Media facilities.
Carroll County's
Media Center provides approximately 9,000 square feet and supports
several Access channels - while in comparison PAC 14 has no facility of
its own but is provide approximately 900 square feet of office space through the generosity of Salisbury University. Carroll's facility,
established in 2004, cost roughly 1.7
million. Carroll currently receives 2% of
the 5% Franchise Fee.
Public Access operations can be viewed as
the video equivalent of a public library, every resident of the
community may utilize the Community Media facilities and equipment; once
qualified. No other local media provides this type of open-door access
to provide public participation in local media. This type of access
understandably requires a significant amount of space, staff, and
equipment in order to provide adequate service. While PAC 14 is arguably
the most successful and prolific Access channel on the Shore, PAC 14
received less than $100,000 in a one-time Comcast capital contribution
('02) and to date has been unable to secure the additional funding
necessary to properly staff or equip the operation, much less build a
Community Media Center comparable to Carroll County.
PAC 14's FY 10 budget initially provided $220,800 in
franchise/subscriber based funding. This was reduced by roughly $17,000
to approximately $200,000 in February 2010. This reduction drops PAC 14
below FY 07 totals. This amount of funding most cover all costs. However,
for informational purposes,
this level of funding does not permit funding of employee health or retirement benefits, company vehicles
or
mileage compensation, nor any of the
typical
expenses. There are many
operational and funding comparisons available on the web to compare
what our Access Channel receives related to others across the country.
It is important to note that all PEG operations are reliant on the Fee
based funding (which relate to Franchise Fees) established by Congress and the capital contributions
(which relate to PEG Fees) of
local cable operators. PEG is not PBS. PEG can not self-fund solely thru donations or
memberships, which in most cases equates to ancillary funding at
best. Congress understood this issue and therefore established the manners
in which PEG Access would be funded.
PAC 14 suggests that a properly funded
operation benefits not only the local government and the community, but
the cable operator as well. Over 1,000 PAC 14
members and
supporters
support the call for appropriate funding and adequate facility. While PAC 14 has
managed to survive, under admittedly difficult circumstances, our
supporters are indicating the time has come to move beyond basic survival funding.
Supporters argue that any scenario that does not provide adequate
operational and capital funding, and establish PAC 14 as a publically
held non-profit entity, would not serve the best interest of Community
Access or the community itself. Routinely, mutual agreements between
local municipalities and the Access entity guarantee mutual security in
that PEG is guaranteed secure and adequate funding, and in turn Access
guarantees its continued support of PEG services; including local
governments. This provides both mutual security and oversight. Often
these agreements are short term, perhaps three years, and are
re-evaluated at the end of each term. It's important to note, the cable
agreements are much longer than those of PEG operations. Access supporters would also
like to see the cable operator provide significant capital support for
our PEG channels, which is not passed-through to the subscriber; therefore all parties provide a fair
share.
There is only one 'PAC 14', community channel, that provides open
opportunity to inform, educate, discuss, debate, and yes even entertain
in a manner that represents true American values...of the people, by the
people, and for the people. There are other tools like the internet, but
television is the American standard. PEG does not support a world wide
audience, it supports 'home town'. PAC 14 is 'our' destination on the
dial. If you'd like to sign our
petition and read a few of our
supporters comments, please do. To
read petition comments just click on 'view signatures'. Other comments
from PAC 14 friends and supporters are available
here.
Why can't I receive PAC 14 ?
PAC 14, and PEG channels, are carried exclusively on
cable TV. As mentioned earlier P.E.G. channels ensure the local community (citizens)
are not be shut-out of the cabled service. Again, because of the
nature of PEG channels they exist exclusively on cable. If you
reside in Wicomico County and receive cable services, but not PAC
14, we urge you to contact the cable operator and request that PAC
14 be added to your service line-up. This matter is solely in the
hands of the cable operator. It can be argued that if all of the
more typical cable channels are carried in all locations, there
should be no reason PAC 14 could not be provided to all cabled homes
in Wicomico County; of which there should be a mandate. PAC 14 is
not a broadcast station, satellite providers can not receive PAC 14. If you live in Wicomico County and
reside just outside the cable operators service area, this matter is
also in the hands of the cable operator.
While PEG operations
have no control over what portions of a municipal service area may or may not
receive their channels, all (including PAC 14) gladly welcome the widest viewership
possible. So it's important to note that cable offers very low
life-line type service rates, perhaps under $20-$30 dollars, that would
allow you to receive basic cable services including Community Access Channels. Some Access centers, like PAC 14, are seeking
ways to add additional layers of service / participation. Funding is
a major component of course, more funding provides more opportunity
and services. PAC 14 has added an inexpensive service (as-in a
low-tech initial solution), all of the channels programming is available 24/7
in streaming video on this website.
This provides connectivity for those who wish to view when out of
town or are not yet cable subscribers.
How many people watch PAC 14 - what about your ratings?
PAC 14, and all PEG channels, are non-commercial. Ratings are
specific to commercial television so they can measure viewership and
then calculate the cost of advertising. As you know, Super Bowl
viewership is very high... therefore the ratings are typically high...
therefore commercial advertising is 'not cheap'.
PAC 14 often answers the question by suggesting our 'grocery store'
ratings are very high. That is, when local people appear on PAC 14
they have a great many people say, 'saw you on TV'! While
'grocery store ratings' may seem a humorous approach to the answer
it speaks well to the question as those who use PAC 14 services do
so because they know this to be fact. Don't take our word for it,
read our long list of
testimonials!
Our viewership is very
extensive in this community. In fact, within our 2000 'Needs
Assessment', the data indicated an over 80% awareness
rate of the Access Channel. It's certainly grown since then. As far
as the number of subscribers and households who can watch PAC 14,
the rough estimate is approximately 28,000 subscribers. With the
County's population at approximately 100,000, and a rough average of
2-3 people per household, a 'large' percentage of citizens/households
in Wicomico County can view
PAC 14.
What does PAC 14 televise?
We are – “Local Television”. We televise programming 24 hours a day 7
days a week. We televise video programming as well as our text based
bulletin board,
Community Calendar.
Public access programs vary greatly in length, quality and availability,
so our program schedule changes from day to day and week to week.
PAC 14 encourages the public to participate and to produce programs of
interest to them. Public Access programming is produced by PAC staff as
well as 'local producers' - citizens of Wicomico County.
Community Access Television, also know as Public, Educational, and
Government Access is for everyone. A portion of the
programming you see on the access channel is actually produced by
members of the community the channel serves - either private
individuals, non-profit community-based organizations, or the even
local government.
PAC 14 is an electronic forum for free expression used by the
residents of the community. In PAC 14’s ten-year history it has very
rarely received comments or letters of concern. Of any possible
concerns, questions could arise from programming. In the case of a
particular program a viewer might have concern with, they might
comment, "There ought to be a law about what I saw on the station
last night!" In fact there is a law: the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, and its guarantee that "Congress shall pass no law
abridging the freedom of speech..."
Basically, any
resident of the community who completes the required workshop and is
then qualified to use PAC 14 services may do so, provided that they
can assure us that their program does nor contain any illegal
content. We have agreed to maintain a public forum for the free
expression of ideas - even ideas you or I might despise - as long as
we prohibit any of the following types of content in programs:
Commercials or
advertising
Libel or slander
Obscenity and pornography
Any violation of copyrights, publicity rights, or invasion of
privacy
Any violation of FCC regulations
Any violation of any local, state, or federal law.
If you see something on the access channel which does not fall into
one of the above categories, but which upsets you anyway, you have
the right to become a member and learn how to produce your own
program or message on the channel, to counteract the programming
that upset you. As Supreme Court Justice Brandeis said: "...avert
the evil by the process of education... the remedy to be applied is
more speech, not enforced silence." If you'd like to know how the
FCC defines obscenity, and the very different type of content called
"indecency," you may access their Consumer Fact Sheet at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/obscene.html.
The producer of
record, person or group, is fully and legally responsible for the content of their
program - including but limited to - any violation of local, state or
federal law, libel, slander, or copyright infringement.
So what makes PAC 14 so special?
Local - Local - Local. A
public "green space" where 'local' people can share thoughts, ideas,
interests & information within our community - WITHOUT - the influence
of commercials or ratings. Our mandate is to train residents of
Salisbury & Wicomico County to produce "local"
programs. We provide
free training and access to the available
PAC 14 video equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. While we
strive for quality, we focus on content. PAC 14 staff produces some of
the programs you see and local folks like “you” produce the rest.
So, it's a partnership?
Absolutely, 100 motivated
individuals ready to use our "FREE" video equipment equal 100 "local"
programs. With roughly 90,000 residents in Wicomico area and over 300
non-profit organizations, the potential is tremendous.
So, what's the catch - nothing is FREE these days?
No catch, airtime and
equipment use free. Public Access stations have existed for several
decades serving small and large communities nationwide. The only
catch is your personal time being creative with video and
demonstrating your 'support' for PAC 14. Open-access to 'local
television' is not something anyone should take for granted - no
more than any basic freedom or right. The First Amendment - is the
first amendment - for a reason. We have evolved from small meetings
in the village square to connectivity between homes in our towns and
cities.
There are those who would take this basic right away from you, all in
the name of higher profits and healthy corporate bottom-lines. By
actively using Public Access as a viewer, but more importantly as a
local producer, you make Access stronger - as well as our community.
We all seem to be disengaged these days with less time for
everything. But community access TV helps us stay engaged and
connected. Government meetings, lectures, speeches, hearings, any
number of important and informational events are carried on PAC 14.
The point is, if you want more out
of PAC 14 - "you" need to put more into it. There's nothing more
that we like to do than produce video, however we can't be every
where for everyone - we need you! The best way to ensure public
access thrives is to support it - by using it!
So there is no
cost?
There is no cost to you other than videotapes, which are cheap and
available locally.
What would I use to produce a program?
You can use your own equipment if you like, but we suggest using
PAC's cameras and editors. We supply a high quality “user-friendly”
kit that includes, digital camera, batteries, lavalier microphones,
cables and tripod. The cameras are amazingly compact - all you
really need to worry about is framing your shot and using the camera
safely.
You expect me
to shoot and edit?
Relax, PAC 14 offers a free workshop that provides a detailed overview
of the equipment, as well as instruction on how to get started.
Professional video production is an art and a science like anything
else, but we're not talking "Discovery Channel" quality here. We're
talking about interviews & basic information - delivered in the most
visually interesting way you can manage. The cameras are light and easy
to use - the editors no more difficult than using your personal
computer. You "can" do it - we show you how!
OK I'll do it - what do I do first?
1.
Sign-on as a 'PAC 14 supporter'. There's a link on our homepage.
There are no dues or
'newsletters' - we just need your signature of support.
2. Register for one of our monthly
qualifying workshops.
The workshops are scheduled
throughout the year and each session last
under 2 hours. Once you have attended the
one-time workshop you are
asked to complete a very simple qualifying
exam. Return the exam, with
a completed producer form and copy of your
drivers’ license. Once the
paper work is completed you are qualified!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
3. Once you qualified - start producing -
as often as your wish.
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