Title
Resolution to Request Preservation of the Existing Channel Locations for the Public, Educational, and Government Access Channels Known as PEG
Memorandum
The attached resolution will convey a request from the Ann Arbor City Council to Comcast, the Governor, Michigan Public Services Commission (MPSC) and the State Legislature to preserve the existing channel locations for the Public, Educational, and Governmental Access channels, commonly referred to as the PEG Channels.
Comcast notified the City of Ann Arbor, and Comcast subscribers, of a major change in the delivery of the City of Ann Arbor’s PEG Channels to take effect by January 15, 2008. At that time, Basic Cable subscribers will no longer be able to view the PEG Channels without a digital converter set-top box. They will have to contact Comcast and request a digital converter box and remote control for which they will eventually have to pay a monthly fee. Additionally, if they are unable to install this box themselves, they will have to request Comcast to make the installation. Subscribers who wish to view the PEG channels on more than one television in their household will need to acquire a digital converter box and remote for each TV at a per unit monthly charge.
With the authorization of legislation enabling delivery of cable services in the early 1980’s, Congress recognized the importance of assuring ready access by cable subscribers to information about their communities. The PEG Channels were established to assure that local, public institutions serving the community would have the direct means of sharing information with their constituents. As cable service has evolved, the access to these channels has been available to anyone who subscribed to cable, and, in fact, there has historically been a class of cable service for those who want access to the PEG channels only.
With this recently announced change it is likely that our residents will have difficulty finding our channels, that ...
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