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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Last day to keep
those PEG access cards
and letters comingThis is deadline day for anyone wishing to weigh in on the state's draft plan for public, education and government access, known as PEG access.
Anyone who pays for cable television has an interest, as evidenced by the cable franchise fee assessed on customer billing by Oceanic Time Warner Cable. The funds support PEG groups in each county, such as Oahu's Olelo -- The Corporation for Community Television. The fees also provide PBS Hawaii with 34 percent of its funding.
Earlier this year, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' cable television division issued a document to spark discussion and seek input on "a statewide cable access plan which will set forth the state's policies towards PEG access. That plan will guide the development and enhancement of services provided by PEG access organizations," it said.
For months, people sent in comments from all islands.
The e-mails and letters and message-board postings were boiled down into a draft plan released Nov. 26, and the public comment period for that version ends today.
The discussion document, the public testimony that poured in from each county, and the draft plan in whole and executive summary form, are available at www.hawaii.gov/dcca/catv. The files that are quite large are also broken down into smaller versions that are quicker to download and read.
The public comment gathered through close of business today also will be posted on the site eventually, according to Clyde Sonobe, DCCA cable TV administrator.
One proposal in the early document would give each county the option of oversight of its PEG group. That drew several objections, including one from Na Leo Hawaii General Manager Juergen Denecke. "State level participation is likely to be perceived as having more "clout" than a city or county," he wrote. The home rule proposal survived his and other opposition and made it to the draft plan.
Some changes proposed early on drew hearty support from people dissatisfied with PEG operations, such as testimony from the Big Island's Charles Jeffrey. His submission cited examples of what he sees as a managerial lack of accountability and operational inefficiencies. He also took DCCA to task for its part in the negatives.
Other proposals call for greater support for underserved areas, broader participation in PEG governance and ensuring openness and accountability in PEG operations.
The comments will be reviewed by DCCA Director Mark Recktenwald and "our goal is to have the final plan available by the end of the year," Sonobe said. The plan will not require legislative approval
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com