Subscribers will no longer be deprived of viewing municipal government proceedings or local festivities.
The cable provider has recently installed equipment...which broadcasts news updates, emergency notices, and airs taped meetings and presentations. Will most likely provide another access station to broadcast bulletin-board of announcements, and eventually, local athletic events. Verizon crews worked Friday and today in the Montclair municipal building installing equipment necessary to launch the Township’s long-awaited FiOS Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) channels as required by the 2006 New Jersey system-wide franchising law. (from their model municipal web site: _http://www.montclairnjusa.org/index.php_ (http://www.montclairnjusa.org/index.php) ) Anyone know the status of PEG "local access" channels in Asbury Park? ============================================= from Montclair Times _northjersey.com - Montclair Times Community_ (http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=16665) Friday, February 01, 2008 The cable provider has recently installed equipment that will enable it to carry Montclair’s free local cable access station, TV-34, which broadcasts news updates, emergency notices, and airs taped meetings and presentations. By Valentine’s Day, Verizon subscribers will be able to watch the recently revamped station, which also offers chat programs, performances and cooking shows. “Verizon is still fielding-testing it,” TV-34 Station Manager Sharon Colucci said. “Everything so far looks great.” This development should placate residents who had left the municipally licensed Comcast Cable Television Service for Verizon FiOS, and soon discovered they did not have access to their local station. “We’ve been waiting for a while,” Township Manager Joseph Hartnett said. “ We’re happy that Verizon came in to make technical installations so that the citizens of Montclair can get our access channel no matter what service they have. We have been getting several complaints when people switched and weren’ t getting TV-34.” Last year, Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed into law a statewide cable television franchise bill, which stipulates new guidelines for cable companies. The legislation allows a cable provider to apply once to the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) for permission to provide service in any municipality where it maintains facilities and equipment. Verizon applied for a statewide franchise and was granted approval to use its fiber optic cable to provide its FiOS cable television service to towns without having to first negotiate with local officials. Fiber optic cable is made up of very thin filaments of glass or other transparent materials that can transmit beams of light. As a fiber optic cable is light-based, data can be sent through it at the speed of light. The law, however, mandated that Verizon had to eventually provide public, educational and government (PEG) channels within a responsible time period. However, a specific deadline to comply was never set. Montclair’s delay was largely due to stalled talks between Comcast and Verizon. New Jersey legislation stipulates that Verizon must negotiate terms for interconnection of the local access station with the incumbent provider, in this case, Comcast. The companies apparently could not reach an agreement. The municipal government then met with Verizon representatives to discuss a way that would preclude the need for an interconnection with Comcast. After examining the municipality’s PEG station equipment, a Verizon engi-neer determined that FiOS could carry Channel 34 without Comcast’s approval. “In effect, there is still just one Channel 34 being broadcast, except now it ’s carried not only by Comcast, but shortly it will be carried by Verizon,” said Rey Redington of the Communications Advisory Committee. “The question becomes other access channels. As far as Verizon goes, under the statewide franchise, it pretty much makes it easy for the municipality to ask for a second access channel, and maybe even a third. “It would be nice to think that we would have the content to use those,” Redington said. “Hopefully, we can support a second one. Comcast giving a second channel is problematic. It is not something they’ve been willing to dis-cuss or entertain up until recently, and it has been a consideration in the current negotiations with Comcast.” Colucci told The Times that Verizon will most likely provide another access station to broadcast Montclair’s bulletin-board of announcements, and eventually, local athletic events. “The town is just embracing everything that we’ve offered,” Colucci said. “ The town is very excited by it, and we’ll do the best we can.” **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48)
