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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1998 0819 CC REG ITEM 10I338.7 � 33 ?.II ITEM IQ • _' of CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT AC'TFi3N A (kveQ1. 5 cliff r Y c omMen daf "an.. TO: The Honorable City Council 44 how cornnffee. a� c6knulr�ra,brr y ounc ' _.0 vans , FROM: John E. Nowak, Assistant City ana ��( °unc�{rr�e ty er g V Q re, DATE: 24 July 1998 (meeting of 19 August 1998) SUBJECT: Notice of Public Participation in Cable Television Franchise Renewal Process for Entertainment Express Limited and Tele- Communications, Inc. of Ventura County Discussion: In 1986 the City of Moorpark approved a franchise agreement with Tele- Communications, Inc. of Ventura County (TCI) to provide cable television services within certain portions of the City. The current franchise expires on December 20, 2000. TCI provided the City with its notice to initiate the franchise renewal process on April 21, 1998. In 1984 the City of Moorpark approved a CATV franchise agreement with Mountain Meadows, now Entertainment Express Limited (EEL). That franchise expires in June 1999. The owners of EEL have requested an extension of the current franchise to expire in December 2000 at the same time as the TCI franchise. Pursuant to federal regulations the City Council has the option of including public participation in the franchise renewal process. To do so the City Council must take a formal action to commence the public participation proceeding. The public participation period is an opportunity for the public to submit comments to the City regarding the cable franchise and operations. The written or oral comments received during this period become part of the public record for the Council's consideration of the franchises. The proposed calendar of actions for the EEL extension and the TCI and EEL franchise renewal reviews is as follows: August 20, 1998 - Public participation proceedings begin for EEL's franchise extension and TCI's franchise renewal. September 30, 1998 - Public participation proceedings end for EEL's extension. October 2, 1998 - EEL submits a formal proposal to City for franchise extension. JO�j ..�Q Franchise Renewals Meeting of August 19, 1998 Page 02 October 21, 1998 November 1, 1998 February 28, 1999 June 30, 1999 City Council conducts public hearing and takes action on EEL's franchise extension proposal. Amendments to EEL franchise become effective. Public participation proceeding ends for TCI franchise renewal. Last date for TCI and EEL to submit a formal proposal to City for franchise renewals. July 21, 1999 - City provides public notice of TCI's and EEL's proposals. EEL's renewal public participation period begins. September 17, 1999 - Public participation proceeding ends for EEL franchise renewal. October 6, 1999 - Public hearing on both franchise renewal proposals. November 12, 1999 - City issues preliminary assessment on franchise requests. December 1, 1999 - City Council action on TCI and EEL franchises (*) The initial TCI public participation period is longer since it involves a franchise renewal. The Entertainment Express participation has been split between the time extension and the renewal review to allow the public to respond to specific actions. The owners of EEL do not object to this split. Staff will make the public aware of the public participation period through newspaper articles, the cable TV character generator, the City's website, and by notice on the TCI and Entertainment Express subscriber bills. Recommendation: That the City Council approve the public participation process for the Tele- Communications Inc. of Ventura County and Entertainment Express Limited franchise reviews and authorize staff to provide public notice of same. <��..�Lk