by Ed Cologna, Station Manager, Newark, Roselle, Fanwood, and Hillside TV
PEG Media Changed My Life
A long time ago, in 1990, I lived as a young man in my twenties who didn’t know what to do career-wise. I wasn’t affluent, drove a really beat-up car, lived in my mom’s basement, and fixed electronic equipment on the side. I had the potential of youth, although like many twenty-somethings, I didn’t even realize that until later. I applied for the FBI as a communication specialist but didn’t take the job once it was offered. It wasn’t for me. I wanted to help build the future of America’s energy and was hoping to work on the superconducting supercollider project in Texas, which promised to be the basis of fusion reaction technology.
In 1991, as a favor to the Mayor of Edison, Sam Convery, I recorded a segment for a PEG TV Show, using archaic video equipment. The show was produced by a young David Garb, who worked for TKR Cable Company. It was a short segment that told the story of a local artist that did artwork using soda cans. Not the type of segment that any of the mainstream channels would bother with. But at the time, PEG and Public Access stations were the true social media in town. David Garb was very kind to me and said, “You’re pretty good at this, why don’t you make this your career?” In an almost Forrest Gump kind of way, I gave it some thought and said, “Okay.” I started to find a direction and opportunities in life that I never imagined. It was people like his co-worker, Doug Gist, his wife Debbie Gist of PCTC, together with Peter and Leo, then Sandy and Cindy of East Brunswick, Lee Beckerman of Woodbridge, and many others about which I could write many other stories. And volunteers like Herb Sudzin, Carl Sylvester, George RED Ellis, Eric and Chris Rasmussen, Mirjana Pekovic, Stephanie Gibbons, and last but certainly not least, Richard Desimone.
The people mentioned and many more helped me, and we helped each other.
We shared equipment and resources and even worked for free, spending our own money without thought of reward to cover parades and create shows. Radio Shack, Tops Appliances, and Comp USA were where my money went because the towns weren’t eager to spend any money. Plus, when we needed something, such as a device, video tape, a connector, 100 feet of Video cable… we needed it at the moment and not weeks later after three quotes and the lowest bidder was provided. The towns loved the coverage but didn’t want to pay or understand what was required. Funny how situations haven’t changed over time. Nil novum in Latin.
PEG and Public Access shows were no-budget magical moments that told the stories local people truly cared about from Council Meetings to local festivals and ribbon-cuttings. There was no social media as we know it today — there was no YouTube with technology such as cell phones that could record video and audio. We did this with videotape and the wiring required to put the TV shows together, which looked like experiments in the basement of a mad scientist. To edit a council meeting sometimes would cost over $1,000 at a company called Video Corporation of America in Somerset, NJ. I learned editing by watching other editors. Spending that kind of money convinced the Edison government to eventually invest in their own video equipment. In 1993, I started doing videos for Edison’s Fire Department. I was loaned a fire suit and a red helmet to distinguish me from the other training firefighters so I could go into the training buildings of the Middlesex County Fire Academy. I also did videos for the Edison Police Department such as SWAT ERT training, council meetings, parades, and events of all types.
In early 1994, George Spadoro became Mayor of Edison. Hewas supportive of the operation, and started funding it more. During his first month in office, newly elected President Clinton visited Edison.
In March of 1994, after a long day that ended recording a council meeting at almost 11:00 p.m., I started driving away from the Edison municipal building in my 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and in the rearview mirror, I noticed the sky turned orange. It took me a while to realize it was a giant fire not far away. I drove back to the building, got a Panasonic AG-455 super VHS camcorder, and drove to the site. This was later known as the Durham Woods explosion, which was caused by the rupture of the Texas Eastern Pipeline. Because of my fire suit and minor training, I was the only professional camera person allowed to enter and record the catastrophe. I provided the footage free of charge to the networks. I was offered money for the footage, but my response was, “I can’t profit from a tragedy.” My friend who owned a recording studio, Tony Bongiovi, half-jokingly called me an idiot for that, yet he soon got me to do some work on Late Night with David Letterman (The number one late-night talk show at the time) as well as do forensic work on the OJ Simpson trial for famous attorney F Lee Bailey. Tony owned Power Station Recording Studios, funded Jon Bon Jovi’s career, and produced many other artists. He became my mentor. I started doing freelance work, getting paid really good money during the day as an editor for Prudential television, and still working my full-time job as the station manager of Edison TV. Clocking 90 and 100-hour work weeks was common, and I loved every moment. I admit that sometimes the people that I worked with were hard to work for, but the job itself was amazing. My own brother, Fabio, a Marine and Combat Videographer, joined me and worked full time for a while in Edison with me. But my youth and arrogance were too much for him, so he continued on a different path. It is still one of the biggest regrets of my life because there is no one more loyal than him. Now he is a firefighter in Hoboken, and who knows how many lives he saved and helped. The universe has a funny way of putting different paths and choices in front of us.
It was around the year 2000 that JAG was formed.
I was invited by Rich Desimone to become one of the founding member TV stations, and without hesitation, I said yes. I didn’t ask for permission from the Edison Township Administration because I knew that was going to delay things. Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. It was a few years after that that this group called JAG grew, and when Verizon tried to get a bill passed that would defund the franchise fees for the PEG access TV stations, it was because of JAG that many mayors came to the state house to protest, and that line of legislation was removed from the proposed bill.
Fast forward to the year 2020, and during the pandemic, while a lot of people were staying home, my video production team and I were providing coverage to mayors, governors, CDC officials, etc. It was interesting being on the front line of coverage. Sometimes it’s not good to have a good memory, because I saw how the narrative changed from trying to protect the people to trying to control the people, and suppress information that wasn’t in the political and economic agenda. It seemed hardly anyone wanted to speak about natural immunity to SARS COVID-19, although many knew it to be very effective. The narrative one day said that masks were only reserved for frontline workers, and then suddenly everyone had to wear them. Then social distancing became obligatory. Being the PEG manager of several TV stations, I saw the difference between mainstream coverage and the local coverage where mayors wanted to save local lives and they didn’t have a hidden agenda. Mayor Baraka of Newark, Mayor Atkins of Roselle, and subsequently Mayor Shaw, Mayor Mahr of Fanwood, and Mayor Lanky of Edison…. I saw how they cared and depended on their PEG Channels to help save their constituents. They cared.
As we are in the middle of the year 2023, PEG stations need to evolve, so they don’t become extinct. Social media, in general, has become unsocial. Local stories are not being told assuming that because anyone with a Facebook account can tell their story, it should be enough, but it isn’t. YouTube and Facebook can suppress any videos posted and find any reason to do so. It doesn’t matter if it’s monetized content or not. We must keep PEG alive. Bring the stories to people, show the council, zoning, planning, library board meetings, and talk about your very local road closures or floods. Be prepared for the next tragedy or pandemic. I hope it never does, but it always is a question of when more than if.
With traditional newspapers gone, we are the ones that can truly inform the public, not some TikTocker dancing or videos about cats. We are Public, we are Educational, and we are Government storytellers. We have to keep those three letters alive and well in media.
Towards the end of the pandemic, I started a new platform called NJGOVTV, that does not have censorship because unfortunately, cable companies again are trying to find ways of defunding us, hence making us extinct. I am looking for ways to fund the NJGOVTV platform by adding special features so as to not burden municipalities and still keep us alive and relevant without commercial advertising. I will have a booth at this year’s NJLM in Atlantic City where I will showcase the platform.
The end of PEG Stations as part of Cable TV is nigh.
This offers us an opportunity to grow bigger, better, and stronger. We need to keep telling these stories and find different places to distribute them. And do it better. From the creation of shows like Dick Craig’s “Not Just Rock and Roll”, “On the Loose”, and “Uncle Floyd’s Show” all the way up to award-winning coverage of Council Meetings and documentaries, content creators must band together and not give up telling the stories that really matter to us, the locals in our respective communities.
I will finish this article with a final anecdote. I spoke to two Assemblymen, and I heard of bills they are proposing to make our lives better, but after their presentations, they said to me privately that getting mainstream coverage is almost impossible. This tells me that, as JAG stations, we need to up our game and cover more things and not fall into complacency and just do the minimum. Station Managers: If you’re too tired to do this, then recruit some young blood… get some volunteers who will eventually become paid full-timers, but don’t let the fire of your PEG station go out. Remember what it was like when you started doing this. We need to pass that flame to new generations or your efforts will have no legacy. This year 2023, for the first time, I was able to sponsor a little bit of the JAG conference. It was a small way to say thank you to all of you. So here I reiterate: thank you members of JAG for safeguarding PEG Stations.
Have you been paying attention to new and pending legislation that could affect our industry? Well JAG has, especially our legislative committee. That committee, under the leadership of Dave Garb, has been working with our partners at NATOA and the ACM to keep track of such legislation and are informing not only our members, but leadership throughout the state and the New Jersey League of Municipalities. I urge you to read our special legislative newsletter that has been sent out. You can also find it on the JAG website, or click on this link: https://jagonline.org/2023-newsletters/
Your board is also actively following pending legislation as well. Please go back in your email inbox and revisit the email I sent the membership on June 14, 2023. This email explains the pending legislation H.R. 3557 and why we, NATOA, ACM and dozens of other organizations oppose it. I urge you again to send the information cited in the email to your Mayor and Council, Planning and Zoning Boards, as well as your clerk and administration. There are elements in H.R. 3557 that will impact local government on many levels. While searching your email, please check on an email sent from Dave Garb on July 5, 2023 which includes a sample resolution which may be used as a template to oppose H.R. 3557. Again, I urge you to distribute that information as well.
The JAG Executive Board, along with the External Relations committee, under the direction of Geoffrey Belinfante, has been working with the New Jersey League of Municipalities to bring three different sessions to the League’s upcoming conference in November. One of the sessions will be on the Broadband Deployment Act. Learn how funding will be distributed, and what to expect for areas in which there is little to no broadband, along with areas that are underserved. The panel will consist of members from the New Jersey Broadband Deployment team, and broadband companies and attorneys who are closely following this on a national and local level. There will also be another joint session with the NJLOM and JAG on H.R. 3557. This will be a chance for local leaders to learn more about this legislation, the lack of local control in deployment and the threat to local franchises, fees and grants. Finally, JAG will present a session on moving beyond cable. Learn more about OTT, social media video trends and much more. In the upcoming months we will share more about these sessions when the exact times and dates are announced. JAG membership has a few other ways to learn about several other items that will impact the way we operate our stations and distribute information to our communities. Some of these items include closed captioning, high-definition cable channels and streaming capabilities. Over the course of the next few months, we will explore these and more. Attend our monthly JAG Meetings (last Wednesday of each month), upcoming webinars, and special managers round table discussions. It is there that we will discuss these topics, explore solutions, and hear from specialists and from each other. These are “must-attend” events that JAG works hard to put together in order to educate and inform our members. Please take advantage of them. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meeting in September and at all future JAG events. Should you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly at: bduthaler@jagonline.org
On the 33rd Anniversary of ADA, The Biden-Harris Administration is working to make it easier for people with disabilities to access public services. They are taking new steps to strengthen the ADA and improve online accessibility to state and local services for those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and dexterity disabilities.
During the pandemic the disparities in online access were made quite clear. Those with hearing issues or who were deaf could not understand video messages from their governors and mayors due to a lack of captioning and American Sign Language interpretation. This lack of accessibility has led to unequal access to critical services for millions of Americans such as voter registration, filing taxes, and accessing vital records.
The Department of Justice is advancing a proposed rule to strengthen web and mobile app access for people with disabilities. This rule will not only improve access for people with disabilities, but it will also simplify how public entities – primarily state and local governments – can meet their existing ADA obligations.
As state and local governments continue to move more of their programs and activities online, ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to these same services is essential. When websites and mobile apps are not accessible, they can be difficult or even impossible to use. This can stop those with disabilities from easily accessing important government services and programs that others can quickly obtain.
What does this mean to us here in community television? Be prepared! As I mentioned above, those with disabilities could not understand the video messages due to the lack of captioning. The Biden-Harris Administration along with the DOJ, wants equal access for all!!
The DOJ has made it clear that all Government proceedings, i.e. council meetings, board of education meetings, and other such events, will most likely need closed captioning. We will all need to start planning accordingly, in case the need arises for us to comply.
Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility (CVTA) Act on July 25, 2023. S2494/HR 4858 Senator Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Anna Eshoo of California have reintroduced the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility (CVTA) Act on July 25, 2023. S2494/HR 4858 This bill updates the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) which had updated federal communications law to increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications. https://eshoo.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-eshoo-sen-markey-reintroduce-cvta-make-communication-technologies
From NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors): CVTA improves and expands closed captioning and audio description standards for television programming and online video streaming platforms to ensure people with disabilities have equitable access to the wide range of programming available to the general public. Update current requirements to ensure viewers can easily activate and select preferred settings for closed captions and audio description on their video programming devices, such as televisions, smart phones, laptops, and tablets. Improve access to video conferencing platforms for people with disabilities. Ensure people with disabilities have equitable access to 9-1-1 emergency services. Empowers the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure accessibility regulations keep pace with emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and augmented or virtual reality platforms.
So as stated above, the writing is boldly on the wall. We may need to start preparing for closed captioning whether we are ready for it or not! More to come on this as things progress with the CVTA bill and the DOJ proposed rule.
In other news from the FCC: Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposes national goal of 100% access to affordable broadband. Also Proposes to Increase Minimum Speed Standard to 100/20 Mbps & Set Gigabit Future Goal
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2023—FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently shared with her colleagues an updated Notice of Inquiry that would kick off the agency’s evaluation of the state of broadband across the country, as required by Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposes that the Commission consider several crucial characteristics of broadband deployment, including affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access, when determining whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion to “all Americans.” “In today’s world, everyone needs access to affordable, high-speed internet, no exceptions,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “It’s time to connect everyone, everywhere. Anything short of 100% is just not good enough.”
In addition to focusing on a universal service standard, the Notice of Inquiry proposes to increase the national fixed broadband standard to 100 megabits per second for download and 20 megabits per second for upload, and discusses a range of evidence supporting this standard, including the requirements for new networks funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The FCC previously set the broadband standard at 25/3 Mbps in 2015 and has not updated it since. The Notice of Inquiry proposes to set a separate national goal of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps for the future.
There are times when running a station, you will find you may need additional support and information. How do you get that information? Who is available to give you that added help? With JAG as a resource, you will find there are many places you can get the information and help you need.
Information: Tell me how to get it! The first and easiest way is on the JAG website. There is a source of information and resources available on the site. The website contains everything from access to past newsletters with pertinent information, articles and posts, conference information, videos from league presentations, members only section and much more. This resource should always be your first stop with looking for information.
What if you can’t find what you are looking for on the JAG website? Where can you turn to next? Look no further then you email inbox. As a JAG member you have access to a very powerful tool, the JAG Email List Serve. It’s a place where you can ask questions of both JAG members and vendors alike. You get the advantage of multiple responses from multiple resources. Plus, you get the benefit of asking others who may have already experienced what you are seeking to find out about.
Another powerful resource: For JAG members is our organizational members. These are vendors who have already committed themselves to working with JAG and our membership by being part of the organization. You should always consider them as a valued tool. These are both companies and people who understand the unique nature of what we do, the budget constraints we are up against and the need for updated technology. Whether looking to update your current equipment, add new technology or just plan for down the road, avail yourself of their expertise.
What if I need just a little more? That is a question many people have asked and where did they turn to? A consultant. First, I must reveal that professionally, I am a consultant. With over 35 years of experience in the television industry, my knowledge, and the knowledge of others like me, become a valuable tool for stations just starting out, wanting to make the next move or just need additional support to help them operate. Paying to “pick the brain” of a consultant, one who is qualified to analyze your unique needs, plan a course of action, and help you achieve your goals is another tool in the toolbox. Consultants can help in technology, management and financially through franchise negotiations.
I know many station managers in JAG have reached out to each other to share a very important asset, crew. So many of us in this industry might be operating a station part-time, as a volunteer or even a full-time staff, but also do freelance work on the side. In addition, you may have camera operators and editors that freelance as well. JAG understands the importance of these resources and to that extent has made a special section in the JAG website that allows freelancers to share their information and experience and make it available for JAG members to reach out to them to hire them for additional production support. You never know when you might need an additional camera operator, editor, or all-around production support. When you do, look no further than your JAG members.My goal in this article is to help you realize that your membership in JAG is an extremely valuable tool to help you achieve a higher level of quality of operation, content and understanding of the industry. Most of this is easily accessible from your computer, web browser or email. But you need to know that in most cases you need to reach out and make the first move to ask for help and commit yourself to the next level of paid support. Whichever path you choose, the goal is the same: to help you move forward in your knowledge and operation of your station.
Resolution Opposing American Broadband Deployment Act As was reported in the recent Special Legislative Update, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023 (H.R. 3557) was passed by the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee. If enacted, it would impose new restrictions on local authorities’ ability to regulate a variety of state and local land use and zoning issues pertaining to the deployment of the telecommunications infrastructure. This would include wireless and wireline deployment, as well as new limits on requirements and renewals of cable franchise agreements.
Due to the oppositions set forth from the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), and JAG, word has been quickly spreading about this act.
One of the sponsors of the opposition letter for the USCM was Mayor Brian C. Wahler of Piscataway N.J. Being one of the first to see the ramifications of HR 3557, he spearheaded the creation of a municipal resolution opposing it and it was recently passed by the Piscataway Township Council.
High-Speed Internet Grant Program On June 26th, President Biden and Vice President Harris, announced how the United States will allocate $42.45 Billion from the bipartisan High-Speed Internet Grant Program to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, which will distribute affordable and reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America.
This is part of their Investing in America agenda and the funding comes from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant programs will be administered to all U.S. eligible entities.
“What this announcement means for people across the country is that if you don’t have access to quality, affordable high-speed Internet service now – you will, thanks to President Biden and his commitment to investing in America,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Whether it’s connecting people to the digital economy, manufacturing fiber-optic cable in America, or creating good paying jobs building Internet infrastructure in the states, the investments we’re announcing will increase our competitiveness and spur economic growth across the country for years to come.”
Here in New Jersey, we are being allocated $263,689,548.65. Under this law, Eligible Entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their Initial Proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. As of July 1, 2023, all can submit their Initial Proposals to InternetForAll.Gov
Once the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) approves an Initial Proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, eligible entities will be permitted to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.
From the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation:Senator Maria Cantwell, of Washington, has sent a letter to the FCC Imploring them to reopen their proceedings on vMVPDs. In 2014 the agency opened a file to examine the issue of how streaming services should be treated but has yet to be put anything into place for nearly a decade.”
Senator Cantwell would like the FCC to consider changing their classification so that they would have to follow to the same rules that traditional multichannel video providers follow.
Broadcasters, along with the National Association of Broadcasters have long implored for revision of the rules regulating vMVPDs like YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, and others who provide bundles of streaming channels over the internet.
“In the nearly ten years since the FCC launched the proceeding, the video service landscape has changed dramatically,” Cantwell wrote in her letter. “However, today when viewers have more options for what content to watch (and which platform to watch it from), local broadcasts remain the recognized expert and dominant source for local news for many Americans…. Local stations provide news that is essential to our nation’s security. They keep the public informed and strengthen our democracy with on-the-ground reporting that counters misinformation and holds the powerful accountable.”
Initially, the FCC didn’t take action to classify streaming services as MVPDs because the industry was still in its early stages and because of the difficulty it presented. The FCC will have to deal with complex questions, such as, how should regulators classify the packages of streaming channels that traditional pay TV operators like Comcast and Altice deliver directly over the Internet to broadband customers?
Myself and two others of the C-NET staff were fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2023 JAG Conference in Edison, New Jersey. This was, for all practical purposes, the return to in-person conferences for JAG, after a fully remote conference in 2021 and a “hybrid” conference in 2022. Gathering together in person was as exciting and satisfying as I had hoped.
I had previously been a member of the JAG Conference Committee until 2021, and I know that the conference is a tremendous amount of work. Hats off to the dedicated volunteers who planned this year’s conference – finding vendors, creating workshops, arranging for speakers, coordinating with the hotel, booking entertainment, handling registration and payment logistics, and a hundred other details. They are to be thanked for their patience, hard work and stamina!
There were several changes to this year’s conference, which I think turned out to be quite successful. Holding some workshops in the same room as the vendor booths gave the vendors increased exposure to attendees, and created a more intimate environment in which we were literally “in the same space”. And the consolidation to a one-day event, with a lower registration fee, may have provided additional people the opportunity to attend.
One of the highlights of the conference was, of course, the JAG Awards! The entertainment by Simon Mandel left the audience astounded, mystified and even downright scared! Simon defies the laws of physics while reading minds and creating laughter….he is amazing and always leaves us wanting more!
Congratulations to all the JAG Award winners! The awards highlight the high quality work which PEG organizations consistently produce, but do even more. Attending the JAG Awards ceremony is a “bonding experience” for everyone who works in access. Access employees and volunteers are often underpaid, overworked and undervalued. But when we share our work with each other, we know it is appreciated. When we share our work, we share the best of ourselves and our communities.
Thanks again to all those who had a part in putting together the conference and the JAG Awards. Only 10 months until we meet again in 2024!
Editor’s Note:
Cindy Hahn was presented with JAG’s 2023 Ovation Award.
In acknowledgement of your unrelenting commitment to the members of Jersey Access Group, PEG Access and local governments throughout the State of New Jersey.
The Jersey Access Group presents to the West Milford Town Council, and in particular Mayor Michele Dale and council liaisons Ada Erik and Marilyn Lichtenberg, for their continued support of their municipal channel WM77. West Milford launched its channel just 10 years ago, but since the beginning, the council, the mayor and the liaisons have supported the activities of the all-volunteer staff to keep residents informed on township activities. While WM77 is one of the smaller stations in the organization, it would not be able to continue its mission without the financial support and encouragement of the council, and for that reason we are pleased to present them our Community Recognition Award.
JAG Recognition Award
The Jersey Access Group presents to Lee Beckerman, one of the founding members of JAG… from its first meeting to serving on the executive board for over 18 years. Lee was involved with the writing of JAG’s first mission statement, goals and policies and procedures. Lee served as the 2nd president of JAG and has been on the production committee from the beginning. Lee has dedicated thousands of hours in the last 30+ years serving to the betterment of this organization and the PEG TV industry. Lee’s time with JAG has added immeasurably to the success of the organization. We are pleased to present Lee Beckerman the JAG Recognition Award.
President’s Ovation Awards
Presented to Stephanie Gibbons In acknowledgement of your unrelenting commitment to the members of the Jersey Access Group, PEG Access and local governments throughout the State of New Jersey.
Presented to Cindy Hahn In acknowledgement of your unrelenting commitment to the members of the Jersey Access Group, PEG Access and local governments throughout the State of New Jersey.
Vendor Recognition
The Jersey Access Group recognizes the support of Rushworks for their donation of the Streamster, a hardware/software combination for managing and streaming JAG’s own Internet TV channel.
The Jersey Access Group recognizes the support of TelVue in providing the streaming service that makes it possible for the JAG Internet TV channel to be seen on a number of different social media platforms.
Up here in the highlands of New Jersey, we at WM77 have been lucky to win two JAG “awards of excellence” in the past two years, one in the category of “Fairs, Festivals, Car Shows and Arts and Crafts,” and one for single camera coverage of our Town Council meetings. While it’s always nice to be recognized for outstanding work by your peers, for a small station like WM77 it has meant a lot more than just a pat on the back and a trophy for Town Hall.
For a small station that is run entirely by volunteers, the recognition has definitely raised our profile within the township, both with the residents and, more importantly, the town council. Up until this year, we had only received a small stipend for the station that came as part of our cable franchise agreement. The $4800 we receive annually paid for license fees for our TelVue products, with a few dollars left over for miscellaneous expenses which we spent mostly on things like cables, expendables and our JAG membership. We have operated the station for almost 10 years now with no additional contribution to our budget from the township. Winning the JAG Awards changed everything.
The first thing we did was to submit a press release to the local newspaper. We strategically included photographs of our council liaison presenting the awards to the mayor who was surprised by the presentation. The publicity generated by the media exposure got the attention of the town council who finally authorized an expenditure from General Funds to cover some badly needed switching, monitoring and communications equipment.
More importantly, we have managed to change the way residents and the town council members think about the channel. While we are constituted as the West Milford TV Commission, up until now the folks on the council seemed to think of us more like a club. Now they are taking our contribution to the town much more seriously. We have even been approached by several other organizations in town to help them publicize and/or document upcoming events. It’s taken a while, but now people think of the station, along with the local newspaper and posters in the local supermarkets, as one of those places you go when you are looking to let people know about an event.
For many years, we have been asking for a room to house our equipment and a small space to use as a studio. Suddenly we now have two locations to consider. The township has even invited us to participate in conversations with a new media consultant they have hired to improve communications with the residents. We are covering more events in town than ever before, which is challenging to our small volunteer staff. The Recreation department has even assigned a township employee to help cover some daytime events as part of his daily activities. We, in turn, have trained him on the operation of our camera equipment. This is something that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
Every story needs a moral and the moral of this one is: enter the JAG awards. Even if you don’t win an award of excellence, use the certificates you receive to generate publicity for your channel. As you can see, small channels like ours have really benefited from the recognition. Tell anyone who will listen about your accomplishments. Use the awards to engage your town council members to appreciate your work. Use the local media to tell your citizens about your success. Then parlay that publicity into more support, both financial and creative for your station. Use your success to recruit new members, promote the channel to your residents and gain the respect that we all deserve for the role we play in communicating important information to the residents of the communities we serve.
As a result of our efforts and the new respect we gained from our mayor and town council, JAG recognized West Milford with the Community Recognition Award. The award is given annually to a Municipality that has demonstrated support for strong communication between a township and its citizens. It was presented during the luncheon at our JAG Conference this year. After almost 10 years, we have finally gained the respect that we deserve for the role we play in communicating important information to the residents of the township, and all this came from winning a couple of JAG Awards. The Jersey Access Group was pleased to present the West Milford Town Council, and in particular Mayor Michele Dale and council liaisons Ada Erik and Marilyn Lichtenberg, for their continued support of their municipal channel WM77. West Milford launched its channel just 10 years ago, but since the beginning, the council, the mayor and the liaisons have supported the activities of the all-volunteer staff to keep residents informed on township activities. While WM77 is one of the smaller stations in the organization, it would not be able to continue its mission without the financial support and encouragement of the council, and for that reason we are pleased to present them our Community Recognition Award.
A bill was recently passed out of the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee, titled the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023 (H.R. 3557). We at JAG, along with our national partners, believe this bill would be a serious detriment to every municipality in our state and everyone needs to be aware of it and why it must be stopped.
This bill imposes new restrictions on local authorities regarding their ability to regulate a variety of state and local land use and zoning issues that pertain to the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure, including wireless and wireline deployment, as well as new limits on requirements and renewals of cable franchise agreements.
H.R. 3557 consolidated a slew of bills approved along party lines in this committee at the Communications and Technology’s April 19 hearing: “Breaking Barriers: Streamlining Permitting to Expedite Broadband Deployment”. This unexpected hearing took up more than 30 bills aimed at what was described as ‘Federal Barriers’, ‘State and Local Government Obstacles’, and ‘Pole Attachments’ (access to poles)’ to broadband infrastructure deployment.
The night before this hearing, local government member associations – the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), wrote to Committee leadership to oppose the heavy-handed federal overreach into local land use, permitting, and franchise negotiation decisions on behalf of the nation’s counties, cities, towns and villages.
See the letter to the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) adopted a policy resolution at their Annual Meeting opposing the bill, which will be shared to Congress and the Administration.
(Provided by Gerard Lavery Lederer of Best, Best & Krueger, Attorneys at Law)
During the proceedings, committee ranking member Frank Pallone (D NJ-6) valiantly offered an Amendment within both hearings to oppose HR 3557 and any action to approve it. He did a great job advocating for local government and PEG operations, not for just New Jersey, but the entire country.
Congressman Pallone made the following comment:
“To remove arbitrary deadlines and narrow timeframes in this bill that preempt local governments’ authority and ability to make decisions that best meet the needs and best interest. That’s why these ‘deemed granted’ provisions that Republicans are rushing through are, I think, a bad process and are troubling to me and to the local elected officials in the towns we represent.
HR 3557 would enact narrow and arbitrary timeframes to approve or deny applications and then ‘deem them granted’ if a decision hasn’t been made by that time. Now to be clear, if a local planning board or town council is reviewing a project and does not approve it by a deadline set by House Republicans, the applicant’s proposal would automatically be considered approved w/o any further input from the community.
I have serious concerns that this approach raises more Q’s than answers….. especially when it comes to liability in the case of public safety and accidents. The reality is, no matter where you go in this country, local governments have an important role to play in approving construction projects.
My Republican colleagues like to demonize local governments for not approving projects in the amount of time they would like. But, this bill does nothing to address a major concern that was raised by all the witnesses at the legislative hearing on this topic. And that is the lack of qualified personnel to process these applications, particularly in smaller towns and counties. Instead, they would wave their wand and approve these applications without further process.
Now, anyone who has served at the local level, and I have – (Long Branch, NJ city council, 1982-88) – there is a lot more to these decisions than simply yes or no. In many cases, there are negotiations between towns and counties with telecommunications providers for access to Rights of Way or other publicly owned areas. In other words, if a municipal planning board or zoning board is reviewing an application and does not issue an approval by a deadline set by House Republicans, the applicant’s proposal would automatically be considered approved w/o any further input from the community.
And, I’m most concerned that this approach raises more questions than answers, especially when it comes to liability in the case of accidents. And, my Republican colleagues like to demonize local governments who are not approving applications as quickly as they would like.
This ‘one size fits all’ mandate to approve a project in 2 months weakens a town’s ability to get the job done right while at the same time ignoring the reality of many local governments’ calendars. People who serve in town and county government are public servants who are accountable to the people who live in those communities. They are responsible for acting in their best interests, especially as it pertains to utilities and service in a county or town.
No one thinks about who’s responsible for ensuring your safety – for example, police or fire or traffic duty– for ensuring the safety of the public and the workers during construction. Or, the complexity of scheduling certain construction projects to avoid road closures or other disruption or delays that often and do occur as a result. It’s the Mayors, and councils and zoning boards who are responsible for these considerations. And, they’re ‘on the hook’ if anything goes wrong or someone gets hurt. And, perhaps, that is why we received a letter today from the Georgia Municipal Association, which represents all 537 municipalities in the bill sponsor’s home state.
They strongly oppose this bill. And, I would ask you now for unanimous consent to submit this letter for the record.
I have great respect for my friend from Georgia. He knows how much I love that state. But I’m struggling to understand how his constituents – and mine – are served well by these proposals because the ‘deemed granted’ proposals aren’t the only areas where this legislation removes critical local authority. At best, these proposals remove local leverage to negotiate the specifics of these projects that can best serve the people of these communities. At worst, they can put people at risk. Those of us who work closely with our mayors and councils – and I think that’s everyone on the dais here – we know that they are the first ones to step up when it comes to deploying communications infrastructure in their towns.
What possible advantage would come from deliberately ignoring or delaying requests to improve work that would improve services for their constituents?
So, last week, I challenged my Republican colleagues to tell their mayors that they voted for this bill the next time they went home and see what they say. When I went home this weekend and asked the mayors, I was glad not to be on the record supporting this bill. I would encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to go back to the drawing board and work with some Democrats in a productive way to develop some bills that might actually get signed into law. It’s not as though Democrats are not trying to look for ways to enact permitting reform bills that do not trample on these protections.
But so far, the Republicans have said no. So, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to preserve local authority and vote “Yes” on the amendment.”
You’ll find HR 3557 and the amendments discussed at: https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/full-committee-markup-of-19-bills-2. H.R3557 represents an unprecedented and dangerous infringement of local governments’ authority to manage public rights-of-way and land use; it strips local governments of property rights and monetary compensation in favor of cable, wireless and telecommunications providers. The bill also waives historic preservation (NHPA) and environmental (NEPA) rules. Yet in return for these gifts, the bill imposes no obligations on these companies to provide broadband to “unserved” and “underserved” Americans.
H.R. 3557 should be opposed, (From NATOA) as it:
1. Cable: Removes Ability of State and Local Franchise Authorities to Enforce Franchises
Eliminates cable franchise renewals, thereby removing the ability of state or local communities to enforce franchise obligations such as build-out, customer service, and local PEG Access channels.
Grants a cable operator the unilateral right to terminate or modify a franchise but creates no obligation to remove a cable system from rights-of-way. This would eliminate cable franchise fees but allow operators to maintain other services, ultimately affecting local municipal budgets from the annual franchise fees paid to every municipality. It would also allow operators to unilaterally eliminate provisions of contracts they deem commercially unfeasible.
2. Wireless/Telecom: Usurps State & Local Government Police Powers & Property Rights
Mandates that all wireless siting decisions be “deemed granted” if not acted upon by local governments within much shorter time periods than the federal government for similar projects government has 270 days to act, while locals must act in as few as 60 days.
Provides no public safety protections for construction of “deemed granted” facilities. Sites will be constructed without any further action by the government, without notice to the government or obligation to comply with safety laws or traffic control.
Empowers providers to install facilities where they choose regardless of local zoning, thus eliminating the ability of local government to balance providers’ and neighbors’ interests and jeopardizing the ability of local governments to impose stealth or concealment factors on installations.
Limits all local fees to a locality’s objectively reasonable costs. Unlike current FCC rules and safe harbor pricing, localities must justify their fees using a complex, burdensome rate-making formula.
Substitutes the FCC for local federal district court as a reviewing body for challenges to decisions, thus breaking promise made by Congress in 1996 that local governments would not be required to travel to Washington to defend local decisions.
Imposes new and similarly flawed timelines and “deemed granted” remedies on applications for telecommunications facilities.
The opportunity to discuss this bill was never offered to state or local governments, as it moved swiftly through this subcommittee.
JAG wants every one of our New Jersey municipalities, along with our county, state and federal legislatures to be aware of this bill. If this proceeds as it currently is written, the public will get nothing in return from it but hardships, while the telecommunications companies alone will reap all of its benefits.
I have had the chance over these last few weeks to speak to a lot of our JAG Members and the one thing I keep hearing is how busy they are, especially this time of year. The first thing I say is… I know exactly what you mean. The second thing I always say is, I’m glad. I am glad to be busy and I am glad you are. That means we are all out there covering the things that need to be brought to attention in our communities and making a big difference. So, with that in mind, I am going to give you a few excerpts from past articles and links to them for you to read the entire article. I believe the things I have mentioned and talked about cannot be stressed enough. So enjoy being busy, enjoy the summer and when you get a chance, however brief as it may be, relax and wind down!
All Things JAG need your participation: (February 2023 Article) Monthly General Members Meetings
Meetings are a continued benefit of being a JAG member. In January we held our second hybrid meeting (in-person and Zoom). The meeting was hosted by Piscataway TV and included a special vendor presentation and lunch by DeSisti Lighting. It was once again great to gather together, eat lunch, conduct the business of JAG and hear and see a vendor presentation. Those who could not make it in person were still able to participate via zoom, and had full access to the presentation by Paul from DeSisti Lighting and were able to ask questions and participate fully. The only thing the online participants missed out on was a free lunch! Our upcoming meeting in February will be a 100% Virtual. Please look out for the upcoming invitation along with a special presentation by JAG Organizational Member Cablecast during out next meeting. We will once again be hybrid in March as Bloomfield will host the in-person meeting and vendor presentation by Telvue. I urge you to participate in the upcoming membership meetings as we also discuss, present and vote on matters to help keep the organization running. We always meet on the last Wednesday of each month, taking both July and August off in the summer. I look forward as always to seeing all our members at our meetings. (Click Here For February 2023 Article)
We are all guilty of this, I know that I am. So, what am I referring to? Just about any product or software you have in your place. You would be surprised on how much they have to offer and how we don’t use them to their full potential. What are some examples of this? How can I find solutions? I will give you a couple examples, but take inventory on all your hardware and software, research all they have to offer, then train yourself to use these products to their full potential. For our purpose I am going to talk about broadcast systems, and multi-camera productions. Each one of these are important to station productions, operations, and overall appearance. (Click Here For April 2023 Article)
So then, what is the problem? As with any successful organization, at some point members start to slowly withdraw from participating in committees and even in regular meetings. They are under the impression that the organization is providing everything they need, is running smoothly and falsely feel their participation is not needed. That is a big problem for an organization and is currently one for JAG.
So how is that a problem when JAG is already doing everything we need already? Let’s break it down (still no math, I promise). As members start to slowly withdraw from participation it creates a void. This void is felt by the board and committees that regularly meet to support the organization. As current board and committee members retire, relocate, or take a break after many years of service, without other members stepping up to fill their spots, the void continues to grow. If this void grows too great, then the organization starts to get stagnate and to lose touch with members and their needs. (Click Here For October 2022 Article)
What would be on your list this year for your station? I hope you picked up some ideas from the many vendors who attended our in-person trade show back in May or from the many vendor presentations at our monthly meetings. There is no wrong answer in this situation. Each station operates differently from others across the state and vary greatly. But each has the same core principle, to inform the community which they serve. When you make your wish list, keep in mind your community, their needs and how as a station you can serve them. The goal is always to enhance what we are currently doing.
It’s no secret that I am a tech head! I love new and exciting things that come along that can help our industry and make our lives easier. I love to play around with these items, demo them, beta test and give valuable feedback on how they would fit in with my station operations and serve my community. With that in mind, I am going to share with you some items that are on my wish list for this holiday season based on what I am doing at stations I am involved with. Perhaps these will give you some ideas, help you to review your stations needs and give you direction for the future. (Click Here For December 2022 Article)
News & Events
Posted: August 18, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Weaving the Threads of Community: My Journey with PEG Media
by Ed Cologna, Station Manager, Newark, Roselle, Fanwood, and Hillside TV
PEG Media Changed My Life
A long time ago, in 1990, I lived as a young man in my twenties who didn’t know what to do career-wise. I wasn’t affluent, drove a really beat-up car, lived in my mom’s basement, and fixed electronic equipment on the side. I had the potential of youth, although like many twenty-somethings, I didn’t even realize that until later. I applied for the FBI as a communication specialist but didn’t take the job once it was offered. It wasn’t for me. I wanted to help build the future of America’s energy and was hoping to work on the superconducting supercollider project in Texas, which promised to be the basis of fusion reaction technology.
In 1991, as a favor to the Mayor of Edison, Sam Convery, I recorded a segment for a PEG TV Show, using archaic video equipment. The show was produced by a young David Garb, who worked for TKR Cable Company. It was a short segment that told the story of a local artist that did artwork using soda cans. Not the type of segment that any of the mainstream channels would bother with. But at the time, PEG and Public Access stations were the true social media in town. David Garb was very kind to me and said, “You’re pretty good at this, why don’t you make this your career?” In an almost Forrest Gump kind of way, I gave it some thought and said, “Okay.” I started to find a direction and opportunities in life that I never imagined. It was people like his co-worker, Doug Gist, his wife Debbie Gist of PCTC, together with Peter and Leo, then Sandy and Cindy of East Brunswick, Lee Beckerman of Woodbridge, and many others about which I could write many other stories. And volunteers like Herb Sudzin, Carl Sylvester, George RED Ellis, Eric and Chris Rasmussen, Mirjana Pekovic, Stephanie Gibbons, and last but certainly not least, Richard Desimone.
The people mentioned and many more helped me, and we helped each other.
We shared equipment and resources and even worked for free, spending our own money without thought of reward to cover parades and create shows. Radio Shack, Tops Appliances, and Comp USA were where my money went because the towns weren’t eager to spend any money. Plus, when we needed something, such as a device, video tape, a connector, 100 feet of Video cable… we needed it at the moment and not weeks later after three quotes and the lowest bidder was provided. The towns loved the coverage but didn’t want to pay or understand what was required. Funny how situations haven’t changed over time. Nil novum in Latin.
PEG and Public Access shows were no-budget magical moments that told the stories local people truly cared about from Council Meetings to local festivals and ribbon-cuttings. There was no social media as we know it today — there was no YouTube with technology such as cell phones that could record video and audio. We did this with videotape and the wiring required to put the TV shows together, which looked like experiments in the basement of a mad scientist. To edit a council meeting sometimes would cost over $1,000 at a company called Video Corporation of America in Somerset, NJ. I learned editing by watching other editors. Spending that kind of money convinced the Edison government to eventually invest in their own video equipment. In 1993, I started doing videos for Edison’s Fire Department. I was loaned a fire suit and a red helmet to distinguish me from the other training firefighters so I could go into the training buildings of the Middlesex County Fire Academy. I also did videos for the Edison Police Department such as SWAT ERT training, council meetings, parades, and events of all types.
In early 1994, George Spadoro became Mayor of Edison. Hewas supportive of the operation, and started funding it more. During his first month in office, newly elected President Clinton visited Edison.
In March of 1994, after a long day that ended recording a council meeting at almost 11:00 p.m., I started driving away from the Edison municipal building in my 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and in the rearview mirror, I noticed the sky turned orange. It took me a while to realize it was a giant fire not far away. I drove back to the building, got a Panasonic AG-455 super VHS camcorder, and drove to the site. This was later known as the Durham Woods explosion, which was caused by the rupture of the Texas Eastern Pipeline. Because of my fire suit and minor training, I was the only professional camera person allowed to enter and record the catastrophe. I provided the footage free of charge to the networks. I was offered money for the footage, but my response was, “I can’t profit from a tragedy.” My friend who owned a recording studio, Tony Bongiovi, half-jokingly called me an idiot for that, yet he soon got me to do some work on Late Night with David Letterman (The number one late-night talk show at the time) as well as do forensic work on the OJ Simpson trial for famous attorney F Lee Bailey. Tony owned Power Station Recording Studios, funded Jon Bon Jovi’s career, and produced many other artists. He became my mentor. I started doing freelance work, getting paid really good money during the day as an editor for Prudential television, and still working my full-time job as the station manager of Edison TV. Clocking 90 and 100-hour work weeks was common, and I loved every moment. I admit that sometimes the people that I worked with were hard to work for, but the job itself was amazing. My own brother, Fabio, a Marine and Combat Videographer, joined me and worked full time for a while in Edison with me. But my youth and arrogance were too much for him, so he continued on a different path. It is still one of the biggest regrets of my life because there is no one more loyal than him. Now he is a firefighter in Hoboken, and who knows how many lives he saved and helped. The universe has a funny way of putting different paths and choices in front of us.
It was around the year 2000 that JAG was formed.
I was invited by Rich Desimone to become one of the founding member TV stations, and without hesitation, I said yes. I didn’t ask for permission from the Edison Township Administration because I knew that was going to delay things. Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. It was a few years after that that this group called JAG grew, and when Verizon tried to get a bill passed that would defund the franchise fees for the PEG access TV stations, it was because of JAG that many mayors came to the state house to protest, and that line of legislation was removed from the proposed bill.
Fast forward to the year 2020, and during the pandemic, while a lot of people were staying home, my video production team and I were providing coverage to mayors, governors, CDC officials, etc. It was interesting being on the front line of coverage. Sometimes it’s not good to have a good memory, because I saw how the narrative changed from trying to protect the people to trying to control the people, and suppress information that wasn’t in the political and economic agenda. It seemed hardly anyone wanted to speak about natural immunity to SARS COVID-19, although many knew it to be very effective. The narrative one day said that masks were only reserved for frontline workers, and then suddenly everyone had to wear them. Then social distancing became obligatory. Being the PEG manager of several TV stations, I saw the difference between mainstream coverage and the local coverage where mayors wanted to save local lives and they didn’t have a hidden agenda. Mayor Baraka of Newark, Mayor Atkins of Roselle, and subsequently Mayor Shaw, Mayor Mahr of Fanwood, and Mayor Lanky of Edison…. I saw how they cared and depended on their PEG Channels to help save their constituents. They cared.
As we are in the middle of the year 2023, PEG stations need to evolve, so they don’t become extinct. Social media, in general, has become unsocial. Local stories are not being told assuming that because anyone with a Facebook account can tell their story, it should be enough, but it isn’t. YouTube and Facebook can suppress any videos posted and find any reason to do so. It doesn’t matter if it’s monetized content or not. We must keep PEG alive. Bring the stories to people, show the council, zoning, planning, library board meetings, and talk about your very local road closures or floods. Be prepared for the next tragedy or pandemic. I hope it never does, but it always is a question of when more than if.
With traditional newspapers gone, we are the ones that can truly inform the public, not some TikTocker dancing or videos about cats. We are Public, we are Educational, and we are Government storytellers. We have to keep those three letters alive and well in media.
Towards the end of the pandemic, I started a new platform called NJGOVTV, that does not have censorship because unfortunately, cable companies again are trying to find ways of defunding us, hence making us extinct. I am looking for ways to fund the NJGOVTV platform by adding special features so as to not burden municipalities and still keep us alive and relevant without commercial advertising. I will have a booth at this year’s NJLM in Atlantic City where I will showcase the platform.
The end of PEG Stations as part of Cable TV is nigh.
This offers us an opportunity to grow bigger, better, and stronger. We need to keep telling these stories and find different places to distribute them. And do it better. From the creation of shows like Dick Craig’s “Not Just Rock and Roll”, “On the Loose”, and “Uncle Floyd’s Show” all the way up to award-winning coverage of Council Meetings and documentaries, content creators must band together and not give up telling the stories that really matter to us, the locals in our respective communities.
I will finish this article with a final anecdote. I spoke to two Assemblymen, and I heard of bills they are proposing to make our lives better, but after their presentations, they said to me privately that getting mainstream coverage is almost impossible. This tells me that, as JAG stations, we need to up our game and cover more things and not fall into complacency and just do the minimum. Station Managers: If you’re too tired to do this, then recruit some young blood… get some volunteers who will eventually become paid full-timers, but don’t let the fire of your PEG station go out. Remember what it was like when you started doing this. We need to pass that flame to new generations or your efforts will have no legacy. This year 2023, for the first time, I was able to sponsor a little bit of the JAG conference. It was a small way to say thank you to all of you. So here I reiterate: thank you members of JAG for safeguarding PEG Stations.
Posted: August 15, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Change is Coming to Support ADA
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
On the 33rd Anniversary of ADA,
The Biden-Harris Administration is working to make it easier for people with disabilities to access public services. They are taking new steps to strengthen the ADA and improve online accessibility to state and local services for those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and dexterity disabilities.
During the pandemic the disparities in online access were made quite clear. Those with hearing issues or who were deaf could not understand video messages from their governors and mayors due to a lack of captioning and American Sign Language interpretation. This lack of accessibility has led to unequal access to critical services for millions of Americans such as voter registration, filing taxes, and accessing vital records.
The Department of Justice is advancing a proposed rule to strengthen web and mobile app access for people with disabilities. This rule will not only improve access for people with disabilities, but it will also simplify how public entities – primarily state and local governments – can meet their existing ADA obligations.
As state and local governments continue to move more of their programs and activities online, ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to these same services is essential. When websites and mobile apps are not accessible, they can be difficult or even impossible to use. This can stop those with disabilities from easily accessing important government services and programs that others can quickly obtain.
What does this mean to us here in community television? Be prepared! As I mentioned above, those with disabilities could not understand the video messages due to the lack of captioning. The Biden-Harris Administration along with the DOJ, wants equal access for all!!
The DOJ has made it clear that all Government proceedings, i.e. council meetings, board of education meetings, and other such events, will most likely need closed captioning. We will all need to start planning accordingly, in case the need arises for us to comply.
Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility (CVTA) Act on July 25, 2023. S2494/HR 4858
Senator Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Anna Eshoo of California have reintroduced the Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility (CVTA) Act on July 25, 2023. S2494/HR 4858
This bill updates the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) which had updated federal communications law to increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications.
https://eshoo.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-eshoo-sen-markey-reintroduce-cvta-make-communication-technologies
From NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors):
CVTA improves and expands closed captioning and audio description standards for television programming and online video streaming platforms to ensure people with disabilities have equitable access to the wide range of programming available to the general public.
Update current requirements to ensure viewers can easily activate and select preferred settings for closed captions and audio description on their video programming devices, such as televisions, smart phones, laptops, and tablets.
Improve access to video conferencing platforms for people with disabilities.
Ensure people with disabilities have equitable access to 9-1-1 emergency services.
Empowers the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure accessibility regulations keep pace with emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and augmented or virtual reality platforms.
So as stated above, the writing is boldly on the wall. We may need to start preparing for closed captioning whether we are ready for it or not! More to come on this as things progress with the CVTA bill and the DOJ proposed rule.
In other news from the FCC:
Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposes national goal of 100% access to affordable broadband.
Also Proposes to Increase Minimum Speed Standard to 100/20 Mbps & Set Gigabit Future Goal
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2023—FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently shared with her colleagues an updated Notice of Inquiry that would kick off the agency’s evaluation of the state of broadband across the country, as required by Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act. Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposes that the Commission consider several crucial characteristics of broadband deployment, including affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access, when determining whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion to “all Americans.”
“In today’s world, everyone needs access to affordable, high-speed internet, no exceptions,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “It’s time to connect everyone, everywhere. Anything short of 100% is just not good enough.”
In addition to focusing on a universal service standard, the Notice of Inquiry proposes to increase the national fixed broadband standard to 100 megabits per second for download and 20 megabits per second for upload, and discusses a range of evidence supporting this standard, including the requirements for new networks funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The FCC previously set the broadband standard at 25/3 Mbps in 2015 and has not updated it since. The Notice of Inquiry proposes to set a separate national goal of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps for the future.
Posted: July 13, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Broadband Update: July 2023
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
Resolution Opposing American Broadband Deployment Act As was reported in the recent Special Legislative Update, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023 (H.R. 3557) was passed by the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee. If enacted, it would impose new restrictions on local authorities’ ability to regulate a variety of state and local land use and zoning issues pertaining to the deployment of the telecommunications infrastructure. This would include wireless and wireline deployment, as well as new limits on requirements and renewals of cable franchise agreements.
Due to the oppositions set forth from the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), and JAG, word has been quickly spreading about this act.
One of the sponsors of the opposition letter for the USCM was Mayor Brian C. Wahler of Piscataway N.J. Being one of the first to see the ramifications of HR 3557, he spearheaded the creation of a municipal resolution opposing it and it was recently passed by the Piscataway Township Council.
A copy of this resolution has been shared at the following link, https://jagonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Broadband-Resolution.pdf , so that all of New Jersey can use this as a guide to create their own resolutions, if they chose, to denounce this legislation.
High-Speed Internet Grant Program On June 26th, President Biden and Vice President Harris, announced how the United States will allocate $42.45 Billion from the bipartisan High-Speed Internet Grant Program to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, which will distribute affordable and reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America.
This is part of their Investing in America agenda and the funding comes from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant programs will be administered to all U.S. eligible entities.
“What this announcement means for people across the country is that if you don’t have access to quality, affordable high-speed Internet service now – you will, thanks to President Biden and his commitment to investing in America,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Whether it’s connecting people to the digital economy, manufacturing fiber-optic cable in America, or creating good paying jobs building Internet infrastructure in the states, the investments we’re announcing will increase our competitiveness and spur economic growth across the country for years to come.”
Here in New Jersey, we are being allocated $263,689,548.65. Under this law, Eligible Entities have 180 days from the date of that formal notice to submit their Initial Proposals describing how they propose to run their grant programs. As of July 1, 2023, all can submit their Initial Proposals to InternetForAll.Gov
Once the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) approves an Initial Proposal, which will occur on a rolling basis, eligible entities will be permitted to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocated funds.
From the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation: Senator Maria Cantwell, of Washington, has sent a letter to the FCC Imploring them to reopen their proceedings on vMVPDs. In 2014 the agency opened a file to examine the issue of how streaming services should be treated but has yet to be put anything into place for nearly a decade.”
Senator Cantwell would like the FCC to consider changing their classification so that they would have to follow to the same rules that traditional multichannel video providers follow.
Broadcasters, along with the National Association of Broadcasters have long implored for revision of the rules regulating vMVPDs like YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, and others who provide bundles of streaming channels over the internet.
“In the nearly ten years since the FCC launched the proceeding, the video service landscape has changed dramatically,” Cantwell wrote in her letter. “However, today when viewers have more options for what content to watch (and which platform to watch it from), local broadcasts remain the recognized expert and dominant source for local news for many Americans…. Local stations provide news that is essential to our nation’s security. They keep the public informed and strengthen our democracy with on-the-ground reporting that counters misinformation and holds the powerful accountable.”
Initially, the FCC didn’t take action to classify streaming services as MVPDs because the industry was still in its early stages and because of the difficulty it presented. The FCC will have to deal with complex questions, such as, how should regulators classify the packages of streaming channels that traditional pay TV operators like Comcast and Altice deliver directly over the Internet to broadband customers?
Posted: July 13, 2023 by Doug Seidel
The Success of JAG Conference
by Cynthia Hahn, C-NET Executive Director
Myself and two others of the C-NET staff were fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2023 JAG Conference in Edison, New Jersey. This was, for all practical purposes, the return to in-person conferences for JAG, after a fully remote conference in 2021 and a “hybrid” conference in 2022. Gathering together in person was as exciting and satisfying as I had hoped.
I had previously been a member of the JAG Conference Committee until 2021, and I know that the conference is a tremendous amount of work. Hats off to the dedicated volunteers who planned this year’s conference – finding vendors, creating workshops, arranging for speakers, coordinating with the hotel, booking entertainment, handling registration and payment logistics, and a hundred other details. They are to be thanked for their patience, hard work and stamina!
There were several changes to this year’s conference, which I think turned out to be quite successful. Holding some workshops in the same room as the vendor booths gave the vendors increased exposure to attendees, and created a more intimate environment in which we were literally “in the same space”. And the consolidation to a one-day event, with a lower registration fee, may have provided additional people the opportunity to attend.
One of the highlights of the conference was, of course, the JAG Awards! The entertainment by Simon Mandel left the audience astounded, mystified and even downright scared! Simon defies the laws of physics while reading minds and creating laughter….he is amazing and always leaves us wanting more!
Congratulations to all the JAG Award winners! The awards highlight the high quality work which PEG organizations consistently produce, but do even more. Attending the JAG Awards ceremony is a “bonding experience” for everyone who works in access. Access employees and volunteers are often underpaid, overworked and undervalued. But when we share our work with each other, we know it is appreciated. When we share our work, we share the best of ourselves and our communities.
Thanks again to all those who had a part in putting together the conference and the JAG Awards. Only 10 months until we meet again in 2024!
Editor’s Note:
Cindy Hahn was presented with JAG’s 2023 Ovation Award.
Posted: July 13, 2023 by Doug Seidel
JAG Recognition Awards 2023
Community Recognition Award
The Jersey Access Group presents to the West Milford Town Council, and in particular Mayor Michele Dale and council liaisons Ada Erik and Marilyn Lichtenberg, for their continued support of their municipal channel WM77. West Milford launched its channel just 10 years ago, but since the beginning, the council, the mayor and the liaisons have supported the activities of the all-volunteer staff to keep residents informed on township activities. While WM77 is one of the smaller stations in the organization, it would not be able to continue its mission without the financial support and encouragement of the council, and for that reason we are pleased to present them our Community Recognition Award.
JAG Recognition Award
The Jersey Access Group presents to Lee Beckerman, one of the founding members of JAG… from its first meeting to serving on the executive board for over 18 years. Lee was involved with the writing of JAG’s first mission statement, goals and policies and procedures. Lee served as the 2nd president of JAG and has been on the production committee from the beginning. Lee has dedicated thousands of hours in the last 30+ years serving to the betterment of this organization and the PEG TV industry. Lee’s time with JAG has added immeasurably to the success of the organization. We are pleased to present Lee Beckerman the JAG Recognition Award.
President’s Ovation Awards
Presented to Stephanie Gibbons In acknowledgement of your unrelenting commitment to the members of the Jersey Access Group, PEG Access and local governments throughout the State of New Jersey.
Presented to Cindy Hahn In acknowledgement of your unrelenting commitment to the members of the Jersey Access Group, PEG Access and local governments throughout the State of New Jersey.
Vendor Recognition
The Jersey Access Group recognizes the support of Rushworks for their donation of the Streamster, a hardware/software combination for managing and streaming JAG’s own Internet TV channel.
The Jersey Access Group recognizes the support of TelVue in providing the streaming service that makes it possible for the JAG Internet TV channel to be seen on a number of different social media platforms.
Posted: July 13, 2023 by Doug Seidel
The Unexpected Benefits of the JAG Awards
by Geoffery Belinfante, West Milford
Up here in the highlands of New Jersey, we at WM77 have been lucky to win two JAG “awards of excellence” in the past two years, one in the category of “Fairs, Festivals, Car Shows and Arts and Crafts,” and one for single camera coverage of our Town Council meetings. While it’s always nice to be recognized for outstanding work by your peers, for a small station like WM77 it has meant a lot more than just a pat on the back and a trophy for Town Hall.
For a small station that is run entirely by volunteers, the recognition has definitely raised our profile within the township, both with the residents and, more importantly, the town council. Up until this year, we had only received a small stipend for the station that came as part of our cable franchise agreement. The $4800 we receive annually paid for license fees for our TelVue products, with a few dollars left over for miscellaneous expenses which we spent mostly on things like cables, expendables and our JAG membership. We have operated the station for almost 10 years now with no additional contribution to our budget from the township. Winning the JAG Awards changed everything.
The first thing we did was to submit a press release to the local newspaper. We strategically included photographs of our council liaison presenting the awards to the mayor who was surprised by the presentation. The publicity generated by the media exposure got the attention of the town council who finally authorized an expenditure from General Funds to cover some badly needed switching, monitoring and communications equipment.
More importantly, we have managed to change the way residents and the town council members think about the channel. While we are constituted as the West Milford TV Commission, up until now the folks on the council seemed to think of us more like a club. Now they are taking our contribution to the town much more seriously. We have even been approached by several other organizations in town to help them publicize and/or document upcoming events. It’s taken a while, but now people think of the station, along with the local newspaper and posters in the local supermarkets, as one of those places you go when you are looking to let people know about an event.
For many years, we have been asking for a room to house our equipment and a small space to use as a studio. Suddenly we now have two locations to consider. The township has even invited us to participate in conversations with a new media consultant they have hired to improve communications with the residents. We are covering more events in town than ever before, which is challenging to our small volunteer staff. The Recreation department has even assigned a township employee to help cover some daytime events as part of his daily activities. We, in turn, have trained him on the operation of our camera equipment. This is something that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
Every story needs a moral and the moral of this one is: enter the JAG awards. Even if you don’t win an award of excellence, use the certificates you receive to generate publicity for your channel. As you can see, small channels like ours have really benefited from the recognition. Tell anyone who will listen about your accomplishments. Use the awards to engage your town council members to appreciate your work. Use the local media to tell your citizens about your success. Then parlay that publicity into more support, both financial and creative for your station. Use your success to recruit new members, promote the channel to your residents and gain the respect that we all deserve for the role we play in communicating important information to the residents of the communities we serve.
As a result of our efforts and the new respect we gained from our mayor and town council, JAG recognized West Milford with the Community Recognition Award. The award is given annually to a Municipality that has demonstrated support for strong communication between a township and its citizens. It was presented during the luncheon at our JAG Conference this year. After almost 10 years, we have finally gained the respect that we deserve for the role we play in communicating important information to the residents of the township, and all this came from winning a couple of JAG Awards. The Jersey Access Group was pleased to present the West Milford Town Council, and in particular Mayor Michele Dale and council liaisons Ada Erik and Marilyn Lichtenberg, for their continued support of their municipal channel WM77. West Milford launched its channel just 10 years ago, but since the beginning, the council, the mayor and the liaisons have supported the activities of the all-volunteer staff to keep residents informed on township activities. While WM77 is one of the smaller stations in the organization, it would not be able to continue its mission without the financial support and encouragement of the council, and for that reason we are pleased to present them our Community Recognition Award.
Posted: June 23, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Opposition to HR 3557: The American Broadband Deployment Act
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
A bill was recently passed out of the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee, titled the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023 (H.R. 3557). We at JAG, along with our national partners, believe this bill would be a serious detriment to every municipality in our state and everyone needs to be aware of it and why it must be stopped.
This bill imposes new restrictions on local authorities regarding their ability to regulate a variety of state and local land use and zoning issues that pertain to the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure, including wireless and wireline deployment, as well as new limits on requirements and renewals of cable franchise agreements.
H.R. 3557 consolidated a slew of bills approved along party lines in this committee at the Communications and Technology’s April 19 hearing: “Breaking Barriers: Streamlining Permitting to Expedite Broadband Deployment”. This unexpected hearing took up more than 30 bills aimed at what was described as ‘Federal Barriers’, ‘State and Local Government Obstacles’, and ‘Pole Attachments’ (access to poles)’ to broadband infrastructure deployment.
The night before this hearing, local government member associations – the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), wrote to Committee leadership to oppose the heavy-handed federal overreach into local land use, permitting, and franchise negotiation decisions on behalf of the nation’s counties, cities, towns and villages.
See the letter to the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
(Provided by NATOA) https://www.natoa.org/news/joint-letter-on-breaking-barriers–streamlining-permitting-to-expedite-broadband-deployment-
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) adopted a policy resolution at their Annual Meeting opposing the bill, which will be shared to Congress and the Administration.
(Provided by Gerard Lavery Lederer of Best, Best & Krueger, Attorneys at Law)
− Resolution Number 73: Resolution Opposing H.R. 3557, the American Broadband Act of 2023, sponsored by Mayor Lucy K. Vinis (Eugene, OR); Mayor Frank C. Ortis (Pembroke Pines, FL); Mayor Brian C. Wahler (Piscataway, NJ); Mayor Bruce Harrell (Seattle, WA) https://legacy.usmayors.org/resolutions/91st_Conference/proposed-review-list-full-print-committee-individual.asp?resid=a0F4N00000Sh7CsUAJ
During the proceedings, committee ranking member Frank Pallone (D NJ-6) valiantly offered an Amendment within both hearings to oppose HR 3557 and any action to approve it. He did a great job advocating for local government and PEG operations, not for just New Jersey, but the entire country.
Congressman Pallone made the following comment:
You’ll find HR 3557 and the amendments discussed at: https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/full-committee-markup-of-19-bills-2. H.R3557 represents an unprecedented and dangerous infringement of local governments’ authority to manage public rights-of-way and land use; it strips local governments of property rights and monetary compensation in favor of cable, wireless and telecommunications providers. The bill also waives historic preservation (NHPA) and environmental (NEPA) rules. Yet in return for these gifts, the bill imposes no obligations on these companies to provide broadband to “unserved” and “underserved” Americans.
H.R. 3557 should be opposed, (From NATOA) as it:
1. Cable: Removes Ability of State and Local Franchise Authorities to Enforce Franchises
2. Wireless/Telecom: Usurps State & Local Government Police Powers & Property Rights
The opportunity to discuss this bill was never offered to state or local governments, as it moved swiftly through this subcommittee.
JAG wants every one of our New Jersey municipalities, along with our county, state and federal legislatures to be aware of this bill. If this proceeds as it currently is written, the public will get nothing in return from it but hardships, while the telecommunications companies alone will reap all of its benefits.