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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/05/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - RegularOFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS PARK TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF MAY 19, 2011 ST. LOUIS PARK COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Browning, Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman, Toby Keeler, Mike Mulligan, Rolf Peterson and Bill Theobald MEMBERS ABSENT: Jenna Sheldon (youth member) STAFF PRESENT: Reg Dunlap, Civic TV Coordinator; John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator OTHERS PRESENT: None 1. Call to Order Chair Mulligan called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. 2. Roll Call Present at roll call were Commissioners Browning, Dworsky, Hartman, Keeler, Mulligan and Peterson. Commissioner Theobald arrived at 7:18. 3. Approval of Minutes for February 10, 2011 It was moved by Commissioner Browning, seconded by Commissioner Peterson, to approve the minutes of February 10, 2011, without changes. The motion passed 6-0. 4. Adoption of Agenda It was moved by Commissioner Dworsky, seconded by Commissioner Keeler, to approve the agenda. The motion passed 6-0. 5. Public Comment - None 6. New Business A. Comcast rate changes effective April 1 Mr. Dunlap reported on the rate changes and displayed a PowerPoint presentation. He noted that the City has regulatory authority over basic cable rates, which went down. He reviewed previous price adjustments from 2010. Price adjustments will be effective April 1, 2011 and June 1, 2011 (shown in handout). This information is also available on the City website, www.parktv.org and Comcast has a program guide available at www.comcast.net/meetyourguide. B. Fiber optic long range planning ordinance update Commissioner Keeler noted he and Commissioner Browning co-chair the Fiber Optic planning study group and attended four meetings. He thanked Mr. McHugh for putting together the background information into a document for potential bidders. He put together a cover letter for the packet explaining what they were doing and background for the request for qualifications. They were asking potential consultants or businesses to present their qualifications to be considered for this project. They were unsure if there was a particular consultant in the country that specialized in this area. They were going to post this on NATOA and MACTA list serves. They are looking for responses by mid June and will then do an evaluation. The committee will choose an applicant and make a recommendation to the full Commission and then to the City Council sometime this fall. C. School District updates and Communication Plan Mr. McHugh noted the City is now operating the School District channels and cablecasts school various performances, including 23 since January. This has been well received and people are using the on-line viewing. Channel 14 will show the shuttle landing because it still carries NASA part of the time. They are working to come up with signage to display that will promote local channels while they are recording in the community. Mr. Dunlap added that the School District received the Americorps Promise Fellow grant for 2011-12 and will begin in August to establish a digital media program for 30 disadvantaged students. It will be an after school program, and City Cable TV staff will look for ways to include or mentor students using existing programs and activities, like school sports or Park Update. D. Update on Clear G4 service Commissioner Browning noted 4G had been rolled out. It was hard to get good connection, but it was quick. Chair Mulligan believed a consumer survey they had been doing would primarily be commercial from now on. It has it with Sprint and it has improved, but doesn’t transfer between towers very well. It is good if you are stationary. Mr. McHugh noted this would be part of the study they are doing and Clear would be a provider. 7. Unfinished Business A. Grand Stadium Agreement for High School Sports Sectionals coverage Mr. Dunlap indicated a couple of options were listed in the hand out. He hoped Commissioners mad a recommendation that would give the City the ability to make last minute changes if necessary. They are concerned about losing access to local play off games in the community. Commissioner Theobald made a motion, Commission Browning seconded to table the discussion until the next meeting. The motion passed 7-0. B. Consider franchise fee audit notice by June 30, 2011 if Commission chooses to recommend an audit for: July 1, 2008-June 30, 2011 Commissioner Browning noted he was not convinced an audit was necessary based on the cost of the previous audit and what they got out of it. It didn’t make sense to commit the resources. Commissioner Keeler concurred. There is no requirement about when to do the audit, except that after audit notice is provided, the auditor can look back three years. Commissioner Dworsky asked if they could get a City Attorney opinion about the City’s exposure if they didn’t do an audit and recovery of funds if there was a discrepancy. They could possibly miss a few months. Commissioner Keeler asked about franchise fees and if they were based on gross revenue, not the number of subscribers and if they had aggregate totals (basic, digital, etc.)? He asked if the fees had been relatively consistent in the last several years? Mr. Dunlap said it was very similar. Commissioner Theobald said based on the discussion he felt comfortable forgoing an audit or review. Commissioner Peterson said he could go along with foregoing an audit for maybe a year, but he also saw the value of keeping Comcast honest and that the audit is one of the tools to do that. He’d like to see the figures and trends and more rudimentary monitoring, and he’d like to see us tracking what we should be tracking. Mr. Dunlap noted Comcast sends a quarterly report to staff and if it is not considered proprietary, he would share it with the Commission. Commissioner Dworsky made a motion, Commission Keeler seconded to turn the matter over to the City Attorney for his opinion. The motion passed 7-0. Commissioner Keeler said he would review the Comcast information and put it into a spreadsheet for Commissioners and also provide an update on the future of cable TV looking at the impact of wireless internet, Cable TV, network, etc. and if there would be revenue impact to the City with the decrease of cable subscribers. He said there are potential new revenue streams for municipalities and a number of communities are doing things to protect technology revenue streams. He said they need to look at this more down the road and could possible set up a task force to report on this. 8. Reports A. Complaints Commissioner Browning said that a common problem for customers is that they can’t get through to Comcast, and he wondered if they were doing everything they could about this. Mr. Dunlap said that Comcast customer service representatives would be invited to attend the October 6 meeting to answer any questions about company practices. 9. Communication from the Chair - None 10. Communications from City Staff Mr. Dunlap read a proclamation from the City Council recognizing volunteers of Boards and Commissions. He also reported on Bookmark in the Park, a program to encourage reading in St. Louis Park. The book for this year is Lone Wolf. Mr. McHugh indicated handed out the public service announcement pages and a brochure on the City open house. 11. Adjournment Commissioner Dworsky made a motion, Commission Keeler seconded to adjourn at 8:13. The motion passed 7-0. Respectfully submitted by: Amy L. Stegora-Peterson Recording Secretary