FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: P. Al Williams
Northampton Open Media
413-587-3550
WE NEED YOU RIGHT NOW:
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR US EVER
On Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 6pm at the Northampton Senior Center at 67 Conz St, Northampton, MA 01060 the City of Northampton will hold a Northampton Cable Television License Renewal Proceeding. The city is negotiating a new contract with the cable provider, Comcast, allowing it to conduct business in the City of Northampton. This proceeding is part of the ascertainment process that gathers evidence for the city’s negotiation with Comcast as to what the public wants out of such a contract.
This is the single most important thing Northampton Open Media needs to exist. It determines our funding for the next ten years. This is directly about our continued survival as a community organization.
WHAT ARE WE ASKING OF YOU?
We are asking you, as an individual or organization, to show up on January 14th and to provide public comment as to what it is you value about Northampton Open Media. You can talk about anything you like, as it is public comment. You can talk about your experiences with us as an organization. You can tell stories or reflect on our work in general. You can talk about our value and the importance of our continued and increasing support.
You can also participate remotely via Zoom at
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83834515669?pwd=BZICOCLpNGa9aAq avrj9n3R008hUe0.1
Passcode: 669098, Or by phone at 1-929-436-2866, Meeting ID 838 3451 5669
In person support is the strongest message you can send, but if you absolutely cannot attend you can email your testimony and comments to mayor@northamptonma.gov with the Subject Line “Cable Ascertainment Public Comment” or you can mail comments to City Hall, 210 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060.
HERE ARE THINGS NOM WOULD LIKE OUT OF THE NEW CONTRACT
You can also directly ask for any or all of these things in your comments and if you do so, it would help us tremendously.
- Full 5% operational funding for NOM. This is the highest funding percentage (of Comcast’s TV revenues in the city) that we can receive, and it is our current rate of funding. We need this funding to continue to provide staff and services to the community.
- Full capital funding of the NOM capital list. These are funds for us to buy equipment our members and community projects can utilize. This supports funding for things like government meeting coverage, the Northampton Public Schools projects, member productions, and others NOM community projects.
- Ensure that capital funding is a flat figure, not tied to subscriber numbers. NOM needs predictable income in order to meet its capital needs, and while TV subscriber numbers are dwindling, Comcast has reaped historic rewards and profits in the community and also chooses to pass along these costs to residents, which is not required.
- All NOM TV channels should be converted to HD. It has been 26 years since HD television was launched and Comcast still does not carry NOM in HD, though we have been making content in HD for our entire 17 year existence.
- NOM programming listed in detail in the electronic and online program guide. Listing in the program guide allows customers to find our content.
- Additional funding. We all know that cord-cutting and cord-nevers have television revenues dwindling. Currently Northampton cannot ask for compensation for revenues Comcast makes as part of this negotiation. But the fact remains that Comcast makes tremendous revenues in Northampton using the same infrastructure and public right of way that they use to deliver television. It reaps massive benefits not reflected in this contract. Therefore, Comcast could voluntarily choose to find ways of providing additional funding to Northampton Open Media, in recognizing it as a public good.
WHAT IS OUTSIDE THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATION?
You may speak about these things, but the city cannot negotiate for any of them.
- Rates or tiers
- Programming Content
- Other providers in the city
WHO CAN TESTIFY?
Anyone can contribute and deliver messages about the value of NOM to this community.
If you have questions please email us at palwilliams@northamptontv.org or call us at 413-587-3550
