Hearing set for Oceanic Cable franchise renewal
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has announced the public hearing date for Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s franchise renewal. The hearing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at McKinley High School’s Hirata Hall, 1039 S. King St., Honolulu.
The testimony shared at this hearing will become the official record of the community’s input on Oceanic’s Franchise Renewal. Click here to see the DCCA’s Public Hearing Notice.
This may be the last opportunity the community and nonprofit groups will have to weigh in on what communications and community access resources can be for the next 20 years. For more background on what Oceanic’s Franchise Renewal means for the community, click here to see some of Olelo Community Media’s informational videos on franchise renewal.
Keep checking Olelo’s website for up-to-date information on this important process.
Here is a statement from Kealii Lopez, Olelo president and CEO concerning the franchise renewal process and its importance to community members and groups:
Oceanic Cable’s Franchise will have lasting effects on Community Media
Aug. 27, 2009 -- Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s franchise for Oahu expires this December. The Hawaii State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is currently negotiating the franchise and has requested public testimony on what the new franchise is to include.
Under the current franchise established in 1988, Oceanic is required to provide funding and support to Public, Educational and Governmental, or PEG, access services — also known as community access services. Olelo was created to manage these services, which include dedicated cable channels for community access programming as well as training, equipment and operations that make such programming possible. Olelo, an independent nonprofit organization, is funded by Oceanic franchise fees.
The original cable franchise laid the foundation for the growing and thriving community access environment Oahu has today. PEG Access resources and services empower community members by enabling free speech through technology. Over the past 20 years, community access needs have grown significantly, from half a cable channel and a tiny office to seven community media centers, six cable channels and a 24/7 video-on-demand service. These resources enable the public to create programs by, for and about the community and provide an outlet for messages to be heard by viewers interested in learning about their world from diverse perspectives.
Over 50,000 hours of locally produced programming has been cablecast on Olelo in the past twenty years. And, thousands of video production training certifications have been issued to individuals and organizations interested in producing programs.
As one of the country’s leading PEG Access providers, Olelo has established a number of nationally recognized community-building projects including: Youth Xchange student video competition; Capitol Commentary/Youth Capitol Commentary open-mic service; Executive Productions event and conference coverage; Giving Aloha nonprofit studio service; and OleloNet internet video-on-demand service.
Just as the current cable franchise has made the successes of the past two decades possible, the new franchise will define the possibilities for community access in the future for decades to come. We strongly encourage community members and organizations to share their thoughts with the DCCA. We need to speak up for what we all need, or our needs will be dictated to us. Like many valuable resources, PEG Access is vulnerable to other competing community needs. Help us protect it.
Please attend the last DCCA public hearing regarding Oceanic’s Franchise Renewal on Tuesday, Sept. 15, starting at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at McKinley High School’s Hirata Hall, and provide oral or written testimony to the DCCA*. Written testimony is due by Friday, Sept. 18.
DCCA's contact info:
Cable Television Division
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
PO Box 541, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
E-mail to: cabletv@dcca.hawaii.gov
Please provide us with a copy of your testimony by e-mailing it to info@olelo.org. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help shape the future of PEG Access on Oahu, and perhaps statewide, in the years to come.
Mahalo,
Kealii S. Lopez
President and CEO, Olelo Community Media
