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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999/02/18 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular Notes of the Cable TV Advisory Commission February 18, 1999 Page 1 APPROVED MINUTES OF THE ST. LOUIS PARK CABLE TV ADVISORY COMMISSION FEBRUARY 18, 1999 − 7:00 P.M. ST. LOUIS PARK CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Browning, Ken Huiras, Robert Jacobson, and Mary Jean Overend MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Reg Dunlap, Civic TV Coordinator; John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator; and Rebecca Belz, Recording Secretary 1. Call to Order: Vice Chair Huiras called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 2. Roll Call: All current members of the Commission were present. 3. Approval of Minutes: Vice Chair Huiras requested discussion and approval of the January 28, 1999 minutes. Changes requested were as follows: * The words “questioned who was responsible for repairs for non-public equipment and suggested” be removed from the last sentence on page one and replaced with the words “asked if it would be possible for.” * To correct the spelling of Vice Chair Ken Huiras’ name throughout the document. * Insert a period after the word “technology” in the second sentence under letter B on page two. Then to begin a new sentence with “This information supported the need for community flexibility and planning in the use of technology and therefore…” With changes noted, Bruce Browning moved, seconded by Robert Jacobson, to approve the minutes of the January 28, 1999 meeting of the Cable TV Advisory Commission as corrected. Motion carried unanimously. Vice Chair Huiras then asked for review and acceptance of the Notes of the December 8, 1998 and the September 22, 1998 meetings. Notes of the Cable TV Advisory Commission February 18, 1999 Page 2 Bruce Browning moved, seconded by Robert Jacobson, to accept the Notes of the December 8, 1998 meeting of the Cable TV Advisory Commission as presented. Motion carried unanimously. Bruce Browning moved, seconded by Robert Jacobson to accept the Notes of the September 22, 1998 meeting of the Cable TV Advisory Commission as presented. Motion carried unanimously. 4. Adoption of Agenda: Vice Chair Huiras asked for any changes to the Agenda. It was requested to discuss the Y2K Report from Paragon under letter E. of New Business. It was also requested to discuss the e-mail information that is distributed by staff under Communications from City Staff. 5. Old Business: A. School District funding for 1999: Discussion began with Vice Chair Huiras inquiring whether the District’s funding request had been received in writing. Mr. McHugh reported that the District had originally made a request in April of 1998 for $5,100. Since the time of the request, the Commission had questions that have been adequately answered. Mr. Dunlap reviewed with the Commission the replies to their questions. He noted that the District provided a full inventory of the TV equipment, described their maintenance practices, and acknowledged the suggestion to plan a way to assist nonpublic schools with used video equipment. The Commission and staff agreed that $7,500 is a more adequate amount for the equipment the District desires to purchase. Bruce Browning moved, seconded by Robert Jacobson, to recommend that City Council approve the request for $7,500 for a special equipment grant to purchase camcorders and tripods provided the School District supplies an invoice for the purchase. Motion carried unanimously. There was also some discussion regarding the matching funds concept. Commissioner Jacobson expounded on his idea and explained that if the School District were interested in matching funds they would in turn be able to purchase more and/or better equipment, with the condition that it would be made available in some way to the community at large, and not used solely for teaching high school video production. B. Name Change: Commissioner Jacobson noted previous discussions regarding the pros and cons of the name change and that the intent of the Commission was to continue in an advisory capacity. The Commission continued by acknowledging its role has changed since its inception and believes it will continue to evolve through time. Notes of the Cable TV Advisory Commission February 18, 1999 Page 3 Bruce Browning then moved, seconded by Mary Jean Overend, to recommend that the City Council change the name of the “Cable TV Advisory Commission” to the “Telecommunications Advisory Commission” as a proactive step in a converging technological landscape. Motion carried unanimously. C. Paragon Rates Update: Mr. Dunlap received the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) form 1240 from Paragon explaining their rate calculations for the standard package. He said it was difficult to understand and seemed incomplete, but that several articles in trade journals had confirmed Paragon’s account that programming costs had increased substantially. Mr. Dunlap suggested the Commission accept this explanation by Paragon and that no purpose would be served by filing a rate complaint with the FCC with rate regulation ending on March 31, 1999. He also said that one of the benefits of the Time Warner (Paragon’s parent company) Social Contract was that only one increase was allowed each year, while other communities may face a second increase after the rate regulation sunset. 6. New Business: A. Election of Officers: Commissioner Jacobson requested this be addressed at another meeting after additional recruitment has been completed. Hearing no objections, the Commission continued with the next item of business. B. 1999 Meeting Schedule: The Commission discussed the proposed dates for meetings in 1999 and decided on the following schedule: April 8, 1999 July 15, 1999 October 7, 1999 December 9, 1999 The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and held at City Hall unless otherwise notified. C. 1999 Work Plan: The Commission also discussed the work plan in conjunction with the meeting schedule for 1999. In addition to the information Mr. Dunlap distributed regarding the plan, the Commission requested that a Y2K update be received from Paragon mid-year and that a futurist and/or various outside sources be consulted prior to completing the needs assessment. Mr. McHugh suggested sending Paragon a letter requesting the update prior to the July meeting to ensure a response by that time. This will be completed by staff. Notes of the Cable TV Advisory Commission February 18, 1999 Page 4 Staff will also consult various sources regarding future technology and the potential impact of Y2K. D. Matched funding concept with the School District: This was discussed under the School District Funding for 1999. It was proposed that it be discussed with the appropriate school personnel at the April 8, 1999 meeting. E. Y2K Update from Paragon: This was discussed under the 1999 Work Plan segment. Staff will send a letter requesting an update for the July 15, 1999 meeting. 7. Reports: No report was given. 8. Communications from Chair: No report was given. 9. Communications from City Staff: A. E-mail and Technology Information Suggestion: Commissioner Overend suggested that the helpful information forwarded to Commissioners via e-mail by City Staff be submitted to the Park Perspective and/or the Sun Sailor for more widespread exposure. She indicated that the information was helpful and believed it would benefit others. Vice Chair Huiras questioned whether the City was pursuing re-developing its web page. Mr. Dunlap responded that appropriate City Staff are discussing it. Mr. Dunlap made note of the information distributed regarding the Bloomington City Council’s meeting concerning their cable franchise agreement. Key points include a 15 year franchise, and an upgrade to a 550 MHz cable tv system (like St. Louis Park’s) by April of 2000, that would be capable of advanced services (like telephone service or Internet access) when the company offers those services in about 18 to 24 months. He added that he had taped the meeting and it was available for Commissioners to review. 10. Adjournment: With no other business to come before the Commission, it was moved by Robert Jacobson, seconded by Bruce Browning, to adjourn at 8:34 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Notes of the Cable TV Advisory Commission February 18, 1999 Page 5 Rebecca L. Belz Recording Secretary ATTEST: Reg Dunlap Civic TV Coordinator City of St. Louis Park