PEG
Access Pass-Through Funds
On October
22, 2002, the Allen City Council approved an ordinance
establishing a Public, Education and Public (PEG) Access Channel
Pass-Through Fund to support ACTV-15 Allen City Televsion programming.This
fee, effective November 24, 2002, is $0.35 per cable subscriber
per month.
The fee appears
on the subscriber's cable bill, but it is not a cable provider
charge. The fee is collected by the cable company and passed through
to the City of Allen to be used for programming costs, including
equipment,
personnel and accessory costs.
The ability
to establish such a fund is outlined in the City’s cable
franchise
agreement with AT&T Broadband as follows:
Section
15(c): Franchisee's Agreement to Bill, Collect and Remit Any
Access Support Charge. Franchisee agrees that the City may, by
ordinance, impose on cable subscribers a per-subscriber Access
Support
Charge that, if imposed
by the City, Franchisee will include as a line item
in its subscriber bills, collect from subscribers, and remit to
the City on a
quarterly basis. Such an Access Support Charge, if imposed, (i)
would not
exceed 40 cents ($0.40) per subscriber per month during the first
five years
of the franchise term, and would not exceed fifty cents ($0.50)
per subscriber
per month thereafter; (ii) and would be imposed equally on all
subscribers
of any and all cable operators franchised by the City. Franchisee
further
agrees that if imposed, such an Access Support Charge would not
constitute a franchise fee within the meaning of Section 622 of
the Cable Act,
47 U.S.C. § 542, state law, the Ordinance or this Franchise
Agreement; and Franchisee hereby waives any claim to the contrary.
Any Access Support
Charge collected by Franchisee shall not constitute, nor be included
in,
Franchisee's Gross Revenues for purposes of calculating franchise
fees
owed the City.
The City of
Allen's PEG Access Fee is the lowest of any of the area cities
currently receiving the pass-through fund, as shown below:
| Plano |
$0.38 |
| Dallas |
$0.39 |
| Irving |
$0.50 |
| Grand
Prairie |
$0.50 |
| Fort
Worth |
$1.00 |
This pass-though
fee will ensure the continued excellence that ACTV-15 has
achieved over the past years and provide the necessary funding
for new
equipment and facilities that will keep the channel on the forefront
of new
technologies, and continue to provide quality information, education,
and
entertainment to the citizens of Allen.
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