Free Cable for Firehouses Put at Risk by FCC Vote

Cable systems around the US provide towns and cities with public-access channels showing school board and city council meetings, as well as networks like one that keeps New York City’s firefighters connected to the internet. NYC’s information network feeds cable TV and internet service into every fire house in all five boroughs, and also carries public-safety messages The services are provided for free -- but probably not for long. The Federal Communications Commission is poised to decide on Aug 1 that cable providers such as Comcast and Charter should assign a value to the channels and data networks, and then reduce fees owed to localities by that amount. Mayors anticipate a squeeze to their budgets and express alarm at a change to arrangements negotiated in many cases long ago. “Local governments around the country would be forced to make difficult decisions,” cities including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas and Rye, New York said in a filing at the FCC.  Existing law lets cities impose both fees and obligations, and the FCC is muddling the two, the cities including Atlanta and Boston said in their filing.