Hmmmmm . . . . cable franchise bills, like the one passed in Wisconsin, didn’t lower cable costs and are putting public access channels in jeopardy. Duh!
All the bills did were to raise prices in 66% of the cases and lower them in a whopping 1%. They allowed things to happen like moving channel 12 to 900 something-or-other. And will likely be the death of community stations like WYOU and others across many small towns across Wisconsin and America. 25% of those surveyed said they have lost funding for their stations or expect to lose those stations. After 2011, the PEG funds that fund stations like Channel 12 and the School channel, will go away. Ironically, stations like Channel 4, WYOU that have been forced to work with less PEG funding may do the best in this new scheme.
But don’t worry, they tell us the market will take care of it. As new companies enter the market, the competition will drive the prices down. And those communities that value their public access stations can contract to use franchise fees to fund them. So, the market will take care of things. Right. Where have we heard that before and how is it working?
If you want to read more check here. And the survey is here.
