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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003/10/23 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - RegularOFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS PARK TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MEETING OF OCTOBER 23, 2003 AT 7:00 P.M. ST. LOUIS PARK CITY HALL, WESTWOOD ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Browning, Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman, Ken Huiras, Mary Jean Overend, Rolf Peterson Bob Jacobson arrived at 7:05 p.m. STAFF PRESENT: Reg Dunlap, Civic TV Coordinator; John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator; and Linda Samson, Recording Secretary OTHERS PRESENT: Arlen Mattern, Time Warner Cable Public Affairs Administrator 1. Call to Order Chair Huiras called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 2. Roll Call Present at roll call were Commissioners Browning, Dworsky, Hartman, Huiras, Overend, and Peterson. City Staff Reg Dunlap and John McHugh, and Recording Secretary Linda Samson. 3. Approval of Minutes for January 23, 2003; May 8, 2003; July 24, 2003 Reg Dunlap requested a correction to the minutes of January 23, 2003. To Item 5C, Mr. Dunlap proposed the following revision: Mr. Dunlap said he received an invoice today from the City’s Finance Department to send Time Warner to collect unpaid funds discovered by the audit. It was moved by Commissioner Huiras, seconded by Commissioner Dworsky, to approve the minutes of January 23, 2003 as amended. The motion passed 6-0. It was moved by Commissioner Browning, seconded by Commissioner Overend, to approve the minutes of May 8, 2003. The motion passed 6-0. In regard to the minutes of July 24, 2003, Commissioner Overend said she questioned the use of Social Security Numbers for identification purposes. Commissioner Overend said there is a bill in the legislature regarding asking for Social Security Numbers. Arlen Mattern said Time Warner Cable (TWC) customers have the option to make a deposit of $45.00 rather than give their Social Security Number. Mr. Mattern said TWC has the capability to track those employees who use the screens with customer’s Social Security Numbers. Mr. Mattern said the use of Social Security Numbers is beneficial to both TWC and its customers. Commissioner Overend said she is concerned about fraud issues and Social Security Numbers, which should be investigated further; and TWC customers should be told that providing one’s Social Security Number is optional. It was moved by Commissioner Jacobson, seconded by Commissioner Browning, to approve the minutes of July 24, 2003 as amended. The motion passed 7-0. 4. Adoption of Agenda It was moved by Commissioner Browning, seconded by Commissioner Hartman, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Old Business 5A Channel 6 update: standstill agreement John McHugh said the standstill agreement for Metro Cable Network Channel 6 is now in effect, and it has been signed by the City Manager, Mayor, and the Minnesota division president of TWC. Mr. McHugh emailed a copy of the agenda item document to Channel 6, and received a call from Gay Jacobson stating that she was happy to have received it. He said there is a second standstill agreement regarding the franchise renewal process. It was moved by Commissioner Dworsky, seconded by Commissioner Browning, to notify MACTA about the City’s progress on this matter, and let the appropriate people know. The motion passed 7-0. 5B Renewal update: standstill agreement Mr. Dunlap and Mr. McHugh met with Kim Roden, Lance Leupold, City Attorney Joel Jamnick, Clint Pires, and Charlie Meyer today, the second meeting with TWC representatives regarding renewing the franchise. He said TWC attorney Gary Matz participated via conference telephone. Mr. McHugh said another meeting is scheduled for December 3, 2003. He said a privacy issue was brought up, and business points were reviewed and exchanged. 5C Time Warner Cable franchise fees audit update Mr. Dunlap reported that TWC has reimbursed the City for the cost of doing the audit. Mr. Dunlap said that TWC’s Kim Roden has made this proposal for the Commission’s consideration: “To come up with an agreed upon amount between the $895 we believe the City owes us and the $881 the City believes TWC owes it. Perhaps, the “real number” settlement would be $0, in this case.” It was moved by Commissioner Dworsky, seconded by Commissioner Browning, to accept Time Warner’s offer to conclude the audit with a settlement of zero (0) dollars, while acknowledging Time Warner’s claim to have overpaid by $895 and the City’s claim of underpayment of $881, and preserving all rights of the City for future audits. The Commission discussed zip codes, and Commissioner Jacobson said it would be a good idea to have a margin of error or deviation, such as 3%-5%. Mr. Dunlap said such language is being reviewed. The motion passed 6-0. (Commissioner Peterson was absent). 5D EAS update Mr. Dunlap provided a brief update on the Emergency Alert System. He said the new unit will be tested shortly, and TWC requested they be allowed to monitor the testing. 6. New Business 6A Staff report due: informal survey of other cities regarding converter rates and what cities have done about them Mr. Dunlap provided a report on basic cable rates. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allows TWC to do an average nationwide on converter box rates. Commissioner Dworsky suggested asking TWC what determines the nationwide rate of converter boxes. Mr. Mattern responded that rates are placed into an “equipment basket.” Mr. Mattern said he can get additional information from a TWC employee who put it together. Mr. Dunlap asked the Commission if they would like to pursue FCC Form 1205 and 1240 review for a charge of $3,000 to determine if the forms and its figures are accurate. The Commission agreed not to pursue the form review. 6B Bylaws reviewed, after input from City Clerk This item is deferred until December 2003. 6C Sponsorship of Civic TV channel programming Mr. Dunlap briefly reported on sponsorship, and suggested this item be discussed again next year. Commissioner Jacobson suggested the model of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) underwriting as a guide. 7. Reports Commissioner Dworsky briefly reported on his visit to the annual conference of National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), which took place in Denver, Colorado. Commissioner Overend thanked Commissioner Dworsky for the inclusion of a report on Cable Telecommunications Basics which he obtained at the conference. The Commission agreed the report was very informative. Chair Huiras asked why TWC lost 60 subscribers from August to September? Mr. Mattern said satellite companies were competing strongly, and speculated that some folks drop cable when the kids go back to school. He said that franchise fees and the access fee, which satellite companies don’t pay, comprised half of the $5 price difference between cable and satellite services. 8. Communications from the Chair 9. Communications from City Staff Mr. Dunlap thanked the Commissioners for their attendance at the recent MACTA conference. Mr. McHugh provided handouts regarding staff correspondence concerning TAC and PEG; and programming on St. Louis Park Community TV channel 15 “Original” programs recorded and played in 2003. Mr. McHugh recognized the contributions of production assistant Scott Smith and Brown Institute intern Chandra Hall. 10. Adjournment Chair Huiras adjourned the meeting at 8:37 p.m. Minutes prepared by: Respectfully submitted by: Linda Samson Reg Dunlap Recording Secretary Civic TV Coordinator