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TelecomBoardRoundTableParticipants include: Don Elkins, Arkansas NBC News anchor & former Telecommunications Boardmembers; Susan Cromwell, (Chair); David Young; Elliot Nance; Steve Smith; Craig Brown; and Gary Cochran, as well as Jim Bemis, CAT Producer, Former Telecommunications Board Member; David Whitaker, Assistant City Attorney. (See TelecommunicationsBoardOrdinanceJuly03) (Replays on Government Channel 16) FAYETTEVILLE GOVERNMENT CHANNEL 16 PROGRAM SCHEDULE February 1, 2004 to February 7, 2004 MONDAY, February 2, 2004 2:00 p.m. Telecommunications Board Roundtable Discussion Message Board FRIDAY, February 6, 2004 2:00 p.m. Telecommunications Board Roundtable Discussion SATURDAY, February 7, 2004 8:53 p.m. Telecommunications Board Roundtable Discussion Participants suggested the following opening statements and questions for the Round Table "Purpose and Duties of the Telecommunications Board," to be used by the moderator at his discretion. (See Teleccommunications Board Web Site: http://www.accessfayetteville.org/city_government/telecommunications_board/ MODERATOR: THIS IS A FAYETTEVILLE GOVERNMENT CHANNEL ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION. TODAY'S TOPIC IS THE PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD. WE HOPE THAT THIS DISCUSSION WILL HELP THE BOARD MEMBERS CLARIFY THEIR DUTIES. AND AT THE SAME TIME LET THE VIEWING PUBLIC KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD. (Moderator has participants introduce themselves go from left to right.) INTRODUCTION TO THE QUESTIONS: How does a citizen become a member of the Telecommunications Board and what are the qualifications? How is the agenda for the meetings determined? If a citizen has a complaint, comment or suggestion, how does he get it on the Telecom Board agenda? What does the Telecom Board do when it wants a certain action or policy to be implemented? Does it take a vote? And then what? In the past, the Telecom Board has used the Cable Administration's office has a point of reception and storage for all of its informational paper documents. Now that the Telecom Board sends and receives much of its information in digital form over the internet, where is the point of reception and storage? If a citizen wants to access the Telecom Board documents, where and how does he do that? THE ORDINANCE THAT CREATED THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD HAS TWO MAIN SECTIONS. SECTION A LISTS THE ITEMS THAT THE BOARD IS TO ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT. SECTION B - LISTS THE DUTIES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS DELEGATED AUTONOMOUS AUTHORITY FOR THE BOARD TO PERFORM. LET'S DO SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD IS TO ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL. What is the role of the Telecommunications Board in advising the City Council about the cable franchising process? What is the role of the Telecommunications Board in advising the City Council about the other telecommunications services such as telephone, internet, cellular and satellite services? What is the relationship of the telecommunications ordinance concerning the public rights-of-way and the other departments and divisions of the city such as the Library, Information Technology? What is the role of the Telecommunications Board in the funding for the PEG channels? What procedure does the Telecom Board use to get an item on the City Council agenda? NOW LET'S DISCUSS SOME ISSUES ABOUT THE DUTIES OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD THAT GO BEYOND JUST ADVISING. THE CITY COUNCIL HAS DELEGATED AUTONOMOUS AUTHORITY TO THE BOARD FOR SOME DUTIES. What relationship does the City administration have in determining or regulating the content of the Public Access Channel? What role does the City prosecuting attorney play in determining if a Public Access program is obscene or otherwise unprotected speech that cannot be legally played on the Public Access Channel? If a citizen sees a program on the Public Access Channel that he thinks is obscene, what procedure should he follow to determine if it should be not be played on the channel? What is the role of the Telecommunications Board in determining the programming for the:
During the recent City Council ad hoc Telecommunications Committee meetings, it was mentioned that one of the purposes of the Telecom Board was to "place some distance" between the programming policies of the PEG channels and the City staff and elected officials. Do you think that is important and if so why? How are the policies for the City's information services, other than television, determined? There are two website policies, one written by the City staff and the other by the Telecommunications Board. Which one is valid? CITY CONTACT: Marvin Hilton Cable Administrator City of Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 479 444 3436 fax 479 444 3437 cell 479 466 9240 |