Rep. Lloyd Doggett Sponsors Community Access Preservation Act
Submitted by savetexasaccess on Mon, 2009-11-30 22:32
channelAustin learned today that Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) is now a sponsor of the Community Access Preservation Act, or CAP Act.
?This is great news for the ongoing development of community media everywhere,? said channelAustin Board of Directors co-chair Scott D. Roberts. ?Austin's longtime support of community media will be greatly enhanced by Representative Doggett's support for this Act.?
?I am thrilled to tears,? said channelAustin Board of Director member Deborah Hill. ?Representative Doggett is championing the democratization of electronic citizen's communication.?
In October, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) filed the Community Access Preservation Act (H.R. 3745), which, if enacted, would preserve and protect Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) access channels.
?We are very thankful that Representative Doggett has joined the growing list of co-sponsors for this important legislation,? said Stefan Wray, channelAustin?s Communications Director. ?He is the first among Texas? Congressional delegation to do so.?
channelAustin is working with members of the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission, as well as City staff in the Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs office, to promote the CAP Act throughout Texas.
These efforts can be followed on the Save Texas Access web site (www.savetexasaccess.org) and on a new Save Texas Access Facebook group page (www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=203082331513)
Two weeks ago, in part due to channelAustin?s urging, Austin City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the passage of federal legislation to protect community television. The resolution called on Austin?s congressional delegation to take action in support of such legislation by endorsing, co-sponsoring, and voting for it.
?With Doggett on board, we plan to focus our attention in Austin on Representatives McCaul and Smith, and statewide on Texas members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce? said Wray. The CAP Act has been referred to that committee, which has 5 Texas members.
Doggett joins the following as H.R. 3745 co-sponsors: Danny Davis (D-IL); Luis Gutierrez (D-IL); Michael Honda (D-CA); John Larson (D-CA); Janice Schakowsky (D-IL); Fortney Stark (D-CA); and Michael Thompson (D-CA).
Nationally, the Alliance for Community Media is acting as a clearinghouse for information on action. More details about the bill can be found here: http://www.alliancecm.org/cap
In addition, Free Press, a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reform the media, is about to start a campaign. Details will be on their site: http://www.freepress.net
Bill Summary of H.R. 3745. The bill:
1) Allows PEG access fees to be used for any PEG-related purposes;
2) Ends operators' discriminatory treatment of PEG channels;
3) Directs the FCC to study and report on the effects recent states' video franchising legislation has had on PEG access;
4) and Defines all video services delivered to the home over wire as "cable" for the purposes of the act, regardless of the transmission protocol used.
channelAustin is the doing business as name for Public Access Community Television, Inc., a non-profit under contract with the City of Austin to manage the City?s community television station and digital media center in East Austin.
Labels: localism, PEG, save access, texas
