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<br />June 21, 1983
<br />1301 Pennsylvania Avenue N*
<br />Washington, D.C.
<br />20004
<br />(202) 626-3000
<br />Cage: NLCITIES
<br />Officers:
<br />President
<br />Charles Royer
<br />Mayor, Seattle. Washington
<br />First Vice President
<br />George Latimer
<br />Mayor, St. Paul, Minnesota
<br />•
<br />Second Vice President
<br />George V Voinovich
<br />Mayor, Cleveland, Ohio
<br />Immediate Past President
<br />Ferd L. Harrison
<br />Mayor, Scotland Neck, North Carolina
<br />Executive Director
<br />Alan Beals
<br />To: (1) Mayors and Managers of Direct Member Cities
<br />(2) Executive Directors of State Municipal Leagues
<br />From: Alan Beals
<br />Subject: Senate Approval of Cable Bill
<br />The full Senate approved Senator Barry Goldwater's cable bill
<br />(S.66), "the Cable Telecommunications Act of 1983," on June 14 by
<br />a vote of 87-9. The bill's sponsors accepted several amendments
<br />on the floor which are favorable to cities and were supported by
<br />NLC. Three additional pro -city amendments, however, were defeated
<br />by wide margins. In addition, an amendment, supported by the
<br />telephone industry, that would have subjected two-way services
<br />provided over cable systems to public utility commission regula-
<br />tion was defeated.
<br />The NLC-supported changes in the bill include: (1) allowing for a
<br />competitive renewal process; (2) empowering cities to mandate an
<br />upgrade of the system and the set aside of system capacity for
<br />public, educational, and governmental access during refranchising;
<br />(3) establishing a conciliation process for modification of
<br />franchise provisions requiring the provision of particular cable
<br />system facilities; (4) limiting automatic increases in basic
<br />service rates to changes in the regional Consumer Price Index
<br />(CPI); (5) authorizing the city to mandate the set aside of system
<br />capacity for public and educational access as well as governmental
<br />access; (6) limiting de novo review of a city's decision to deny a
<br />renewal application; (7) allowing cities to reimpose regulation of
<br />basic service rates in markets served by four or more television
<br />stations when the penetration rate reaches 80 percent; (8) pro-
<br />hibiting the filing of a renewal application prior to 36 months
<br />before the franchise's scheduled expiration date; (9) grand -
<br />fathering access, service, and facility requirements in any fran-
<br />chise resulting from a Request for Proposals issued prior to
<br />October 1, 1982; and (10) grandfathering California law governing
<br />the regulation of basic service rates for the longer of five years
<br />or the remaining life of a franchise.
<br />Past Presidents: Tom Bradley, Mayor, Los Angeles, California • William H. Hudnut, Ill, Mayor, Indianapolis, Indiana • Henry W. Maier, Mayor, Milwaukee, Wisconsin -Tom Moody, Mayor. Columbus.
<br />Ohio • Jessie M. Rattley, Councilwoman, Newport News, Virginia • John P. Rousakis, Mayor, Savannah, Georgia • Directors: John B. Andrews, Executive Director, New Hampshire Municipal
<br />Association • Richard Arrington, Jr., Mayor, Birmingham, Alabama • Marion S. Barry Jr., Mayor, Washington, D.0 • Carol Bellamy, Council President, New York, New York • Richard S. Caliguiri, •
<br />Mayor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • David Cunningham, Council Member, Los Angeles, California • John P. Franklin, Vice Mayor, Chattanooga, Tennessee • William F. Fulginiti, Executive Director. New
<br />Mexico Municipal League • Karen M. Groves, Commissioner, Salina, Kansas • Edwin L. Griffin, Jr., Executive Director. Kentucky Municipal League • Jonathan B. Howes, Council Member, Chapel Hill,
<br />North Carolina • Charles Hoyt, Alderman, Minneapolis, Minnesota • Robert M. Isaac, Mayor, Colorado Springs, Colorado • George M. Israel, III, Mayor, Macon. Georgia • Luther Jones, Mayor, Corpus
<br />Christi, Texas • Myra Jones, Vice Mayor, Little Rock, Arkansas • Peter C. Knudson, Mayor, Brigham City, Utah -Ted Lehne, Ccuncil Member, Fairbanks, Alaska • Christopher G. Loci( woc _ Er-rutwe
<br />Director, Maine Municipal Association • Bob Martinez, Mayor, Tampa, Florida • E. A. Mosher, Executive Director, League of Kansas Municipalities • Jack Nelson, Mayor. Beaverton, Oregon • . •id
<br />Nuessen, Mayor, Quincy, Illinois • Kevin O'Connor, Alderman, Milwaukee, Wisconsin • Martin L. Peterson, Executive Director. Association of Idaho Cities • Michael J. Quinn, Executve Director. it •,
<br />Association of Cities and Towns • Elaine Szymonlak, Council Member, Des Moines. Iowa • Joseph-W. Walsh, Mayor. Warwick. Rhode Island • Iola M. Williams, Vice Mayor, 5-n lose. Cal,to
<br />Thomas D. Wingard, Mayor, Greenwood. South Carolina.
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