Cable Franchise Renewal: Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations Community Needs Assessment
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What We Will Cover Today…
Provide Information to You…
Quick Refresher on Franchise Renewal Process Port Angeles cable facts Cable basics Executive Summary of Community Needs Assessment Process Key Findings & Recommendations Next Steps Immediate steps regarding Public, Educational and Government (PEG) access programming Renewal Process
Answer Your Questions…..
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Port Angeles Cable Facts
Local Franchise Agreement is a land use contract
Franchise is non-exclusive
Wave has been operating under a 15-year outdated franchise that expires in May 2017
Wave has about 4,000 subscribers in Port Angeles
Local governments must abide by Federal and State laws when conducting franchise renewal process
Public input is a critical part of the renewal process
Renewal process is central to determining future services that citizens will receive up to 2032. 3
Key Elements of Cable Franchise Renewal Process Past Performance Review Community Needs Assessment Informal Negotiations may occur If agreement is reached, renewed franchise is adopted If negotiations reach impasse…
City may establish requirements and issue an Request
for Renewal Proposal (RFRP) Desired Outcome of Franchise Renewal Process A new franchise that that can contribute positively to the
changing economic, technological, and cultural conditions 4of Port Angeles
Port Angeles Community Needs Assessment
Focus groups
Community meetings
On-line survey 637 completed surveys
Tour of Skills Center
Review of existing franchise agreement
Engineering study of cable system 5
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Subscriber Overview Over half of survey respondents subscribe to the
Wave cable service. Of those: 85% subscribe to a “bundle” of services 57% receive HD channels
Consistent with industry trends subscribers prefer to
watch HD channels. A majority of Wave subscribers said that they most
often use Wave’s on-screen guide to find programming information.
More than four times as often as any other source 6
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Customer Satisfaction 60% of subscribers said they were either “very” or
“somewhat” satisfied with Wave’s overall performance
Almost one third said they were either “very” or
“somewhat” dissatisfied with Wave’s overall performance
Nearly three quarter of subscribers rated the picture
and sound and the quality and reliability of the Wave cable system as “Very Good” or “Good.” 7
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Customer Service A large majority of subscribers said it was “very” or
“somewhat” important for Wave to have an office in Port Angeles Over half had gone to the Wave office in the past year
Over half of subscribers rated Wave’s performance in
providing clear and accurate promotion of services as “Fair”, “Poor” or “Very Poor”
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Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Customer Service - Telephone Over three quarters indicated that their issues were
not resolved using the interactive phone system. 61% indicated that they had to wait one minute or
longer, or were never connected when trying to reach a customer service representative (CSR). Of the subscribers who were able to connect to a CSR
by telephone, a majority said that the CSR was able to resolve their issue. 9
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Cable Plant and Engineering Based upon the engineering study by CTC,
the Wave cable system as currently configured: Has more than adequate platform for expanding
video services such as more HD channels and two-way data services Is well-maintained 10
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Community Programming ď Ž 86 % of all survey respondents (including
cable subscribers and non-subscribers) indicated that they were interested in viewing locally-produced programs about residents, organizations, events, schools, and government.
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Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Community Programming All survey respondents were asked to indicate their
level of interest in 16 types of local programming. The top categories of response included Port Angeles community news, information and events. Respondents indicated it would be easier to create
programming if there was a Community Media Center (CMC) Survey respondents indicated that a portion of their
cable bill should be dedicated to the support the creation of local community programs. 12
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: Community Programming ď Ž More than half of all survey respondents
indicated: ď Ž organizations that they are involved with would be
interested in having programs about their services and activities on a local cable channel. ď Ž people and organizations in the community would
be interested in learning how to create programs for presentation on a local cable channel. 13
Key Findings of Community Needs Assessment: PEG Facilities, Services, Equipment Review Currently, no available equipment is
dedicated for PEG access purposes in Port Angeles, except for a computer at Wave’s local office. The current franchise includes funding,
channels, services, and connectivity requirements for PEG access purposes. 14
Primary Recommendations
ď Ž Primary Recommendations based
upon public input received during the Community Needs Assessment process. 15
Primary Recommendations: Cable Plant & Headend
The Wave cable system should have the technical ability to deliver state-of-the-art systems throughout the franchise term.
An adequate number of PEG access channels should be provided throughout the Franchise term, including but not limited to: Equivalent technical capability to commercial channels High definition (HD) Video-on-demand
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Primary Recommendations: Cable Plant & Headend PEG access links should be provided between
primary local origination sites and the Wave “headend,” including (at minimum) a Community Media Center, City Hall, and the Skills Center. Live special events and activities should be easy to
transmit throughout Port Angeles. City should determine if and how it wishes to use the
Emergency Alert capabilities of the Wave cable system. 17
Primary Recommendations: Subscriber Service & Customer Satisfaction Wave should meet or exceed the FCC’s customer
service standards (at minimum). Wave should provide the City with a plan to better
communicate clear, updated, and accurate information to Port Angeles subscribers. Wave should continue to provide a local Port Angeles
office. Wave should provide proof of its compliance with
customer service requirements at regular intervals on an ongoing basis. 18
Primary Recommendations: Subscriber Service & Customer Satisfaction All PEG access bandwidth/capacity should be
provided free of charge. PEG access channels should be grouped together on
the lowest cost tier of services. Complete PEG access program listings should appear
on the interactive/electronic program guide and any print program guide.
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Primary Recommendations: Public, Education, Government Access A PEG access management entity (independent non
profit organization) should be identified or established to manage PEG access channels, provide training, and collaborate with the entire community. A Community Media Center should be available to
house PEG access equipment and facilities – should be a minimum of 1,000 - 1,500 square feet.
Wave should provide initial and ongoing PEG access
support grants . 20
Next Steps: Franchise Renewal Process City staff completes the franchise fee and franchise
compliance reviews City Council adopts updated City Code language
related to cable TV Proceed with negotiation process
Consistent with public input and findings in the
Community Needs Assessment Report back to Council at regular intervals on status
of negotiations Proceed with renewal process consistent with federal
law
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Next Steps: Community (PEG Access) Programming Community Needs Assessment indicates a strong interest
for community (PEG access) programming -- both now and in the future Current Franchise specifies PEG access funding and
resources to be provided by Wave upon City’s request One (and up to 3) PEG access channel(s) Basic playback system Video links from up to 3 locations $60,000 in PEG access equipment funding support 4 hours per week of staff time & assistance $0.05 per subscriber per month for PEG access operations 22
Peninsula Area Public Access (PAPA) Presentation
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Next Steps: Community (PEG Access) Programming
Staff Interim Recommendation Identify a local entity to work with to activate and
manage PEG access channels Ensure a collaborative approach (involving public,
educational and government participation) Trigger funding and resources available in current
franchise Activate one local PEG channel 24
Next Steps: Action Item
ď Ž City Council direct staff to develop a
professional services contract with PAPA to manage the PEG access channel(s) and Community Media Center during the interim franchise period. 25