Cable Advisory Committee - Regular Meeting

[Music] all this meeting of the Grafton cable advisory committee um March 12th 2025 to order uh we don't have anyone's on Zoom nope so we don't need to do a roll call this is where we have an opportunity for public input if anybody has any thing that is on the agenda and as will in our purview this is one I get a chance is there if there there's anybody out there in Zoom land we know that wouldn't yeah is okay apparently no one has any public UT Finance committee's meeting tonight has a finance committee's meeting tonight it's a tough one to go up against it Mak it much quieter down uh I think I'd rather be here than there oh I'm going there next oh well you enjoyed thing um is that room that's that's not going to be or is that oh just the finance it's finance committee they doing their public hearings for the the budget yeah they're dealing with the budget which needs an override or cutting services somewhere right like the school committee yeah to TBD we don't know what the plan is yet oh no no no I don't think well they probably lots of plans

but it hasn't been finalized all right so committee charge as the four of us know the select board has revised the committee's name and its charge only have copies of the charge and that pretty much follows what had been discussed I I think I printed the wrong I I didn't I didn't maybe a de uh allegedly what they finally signed had the corrections in it that we had discussed uh little bit of language no oh no this is not all here is well I'm probably not going to be able to find it remember there were a couple of things I mean anybody have anything to say about this it's uh a tremendous difference from what we used to have um you know where we we basically were uh in control of uh all the funds and how they were spent what we did with them you know police against to know whether it was to be uh you know a legitimate use for the cable funds um and uh and basically overseeing every aspect of cable and uh that's all taken away now every B anybody

else well the is to try for 6 months or whatever and then we can go back an amended if anybody is no we can go back okay that's my that's what I was that bridges that installed that right okay well okay I was asked at one point to what credit leases on there um oh let's that's a little bit open-ended I don't know exactly how much you want to do with the licenses um yeah it was it was meant to say current licenses yeah yeah I know and but that's kind of open that it and I think I know that we'll get through the rest of the stuff um quickly uh Minute review we have a draft minutes everybody chest to look at them I didn't do chest to look at but I'm sure they're F uh I make a motion that we accept those written I'll make a motion to accept the minutes as written or second the minut yes second moved in second any discussion all in favor I opposed um we don't have any bills we don't I think we could still have a treasur report because we ought to track what's going on with cable money um so if we're going to look forward to possibilities and things like that you should know what you got for money but we don't have one tonight do we no because I didn't I didn't see it the same way I didn't see why we would

be tracking money still like what what part of our charge would be tied to tracking m the um the um well if you're going to advise about successor licensing agreements you ought to know how the money is working um let's see see the was and and to track it to be sure we are to meet with the from time to time to advise the board on matters concerning service compliance to regulatory climate and other matters of relevance to Cable subscribers like cable access which provides the services to the they visible to the people of the town so what is it that you would like me to be tracking well it just we it'd be nice to keep trag how much came in how much went out annually quarterly how much the trouble is that stuff doesn't f you don't both companies could be relied upon to to make their payments and we get the information um in the same month they need to say maybe you could do it quarterly um I'm not sure uh get it work down play te and though um you know we could try well there's going to be a little bit more about what happens uh here when when was the uh the most recent treasury report submitted December in December correct

okay that's not that's not secret and I don't know how hard it is to get I know Bob uh Bob was having trouble um getting the the reports um so I don't know how hard no you I would just have to ask Mary which is fine but I just it wasn't as clear to me as it is to you why we would still be tracking finances as an advisory committee we're not advising on finances I mean the least the licensing agreement does is there a financial component in the sense that we would need to you know negotiate based off what we brought in I mean is that a negotiating thing that you want or to continue to investigate and to advise the select board on new technologies in order to do that half of that is Gee that sounds good the other half is we don't have a chance of doing it because of the money well um I would disagree we would still it's our position to advise on and and then they could I'm taking I'm taking it off I don't Bob that's not fair to just cut we don't have an access access activity report it would be nice to have that I don't know I don't suppose we need to know what access is doing do we see than a lot car to licenses than did everybody get a chance to review the current

licenses uh not quite on the way I'm still going through um maybe on the stream there but I see that uh one organization provides free cable to some organization within the town and the other one does not where or St um how was we it through like was one uh I'm not sure if it's rise or child I get I got at home I actually Mar who are they providing money to or no they providing service free cable yeah to certain uh well it's in the uh it's this Clos in the uh that was going through it this is exhibit a okay so this is the Spectrum yeah so the Spectrum provides um free cable to Grafton police nor Grafton fire station Grafton Town Hall Grafton fire station again South Grafton and North graft the highway department The graft of fire department the Sor son they explicitly have an exhibit Aid on that which Out Lines those but from the the way it's written is really it's the interpretation of a lawyer because lawyers up way of saying yes no yes no and then you know where you're at but I didn't see that with Horizon yeah well that's the only far as I'm concerned Verizon and you know I was there back

when this stting to be an issue long time ago um far as I'm concerned the town only needs one copy of the access to we the access channels and the general service you license not sure that I think that's like basic service um it's at what not sure how basic basic service is anymore you know it's the lowest tier service um and anyway as far as I'm concerned Verizon does a better job than Charter does orever did y u so if you're going to get it from one of them see the um the L you're looking at is newer 23 2021 no you that's the one no I'm I'm looking at 2021 is 202 no yes Verizon is 2023 yeah and I think you said it was Verizon where you found that no it's a it's a spectrum it's Spectrum Spectrum all right some AG 31 Verizon provides service yeah but the newer license they may have pushed back and you have to ask the people who were in the negotiations why yeah so we don't the the only source we have anymore is a on to tone okay that's all that's the only thing that I kind of stuck out and I'm okay with it either way

they used to be very sensitive about the uh free service even though it's you know it's it's it's not a real economic thing it's a few dollars it's what do they have to do and what don't they have to do kind of dist any anything else you want you know could you wanted to can so so with our new charge we're supposed to review and be familiar with these licensing agreements so I guess I just didn't know how we wanted to achieve that if we were just going to just read it and then check the box and that's it or did we want to come up with a strategy for the next one in a couple years or just when is the current one to expired because they really those on S I I didn't look but I am almost you I'm pretty confident they're both two to five year five year yeah fiveyear licenses this time so uming 21 + 5 is January 5th of 2026 um we should be getting into the renewal process now things have changed a lot um for spectrum well in the industry no meant in terms of license license there was a process of initiating a license renewal uh process somewhere around here this around this time I I don't remember I I nine month sticks my head but I don't think that's quite right there's supposed to be earrings all kinds of things um

said not was in charge of it we're not in Char we're in charge of contributing we're not in charge of telling them anything about the light that they need to go get busy doing a license um we need contact actually Bill August August said he was not doing anymore Bill August has been or Colo for all or very nearly all of the licenses going back to when I did you know when I started with the first 10 years in um and um the first step is to find out when when he says something has to happen but I think it's evidence probably I think it probably is Evan's job to keep to you know be on and be initiating things I'm sure it's somebody's job to initiate it but it's ours to advise the select board to ensure compliance with renewal requirements so if you're renewal requirements not necessarily renewal but yeah um I think the thing is um to ask uh EV about um where are we on cuz he he and Bob dma um and whatever uh lawyer we have whether it's Bill August or somebody else because

that's picked by Evan that's been um you know ask him where are we just and up all that so what could we advise the select board going into these upcoming negotiations I advise that they check and see when a renewal process needs to start and you don't want the committee to maybe do that for them so that we could submit what you just suggested oh just no it's not it's not okay not our place we're not allowed to well I don't even know who the attorney would be okay um I think the first step is EV if he says go get on it fine but the last couple of town administrators have not been interested in that I've been interested in them and Boba um and maybe when we get into that process then they'll include us in some sort of participation but we'll see you know we'll say it says here we should and um we'll do that shall I send a message to Evan asking do you want to ask no this isn't just a it's not a what does Colleen want to do it's what does the committee want to do and so if well what he's trying to say is representing the committee do you want the chairman to do it or would you like to do it for the committee no it makes sense for the

chair if you want to ask Evan about our role in no I want to ask him about where the license stands license renewal process stands okay um you want me to do that sure all right on our next agenda I'm going to put uh consider reconsider reorganization okay yeah yes anything else meeting day we were trying to meet on Mondays um Mundy's hurt about the worst idea because of all holidays um but um it looks like the 21st of April Patriots Day is Patriots Day move does it say that on my calendar Happ do all about that sh well usually papers stays the day before tax day not this year it's Marathon Monday well

someone so far the 23rd is open for me like the 23rd 23rd mnes St without objection then what we'll be discussing at that meeting is your hopefully probably a response from Evan and a reorganization that's what you're hoping to have on that agenda yeah um I may get an answer from Evan and I could let everybody know what it do so they where you know what to expect um and depending on what he says the film be a agenda materal if there something fors to do I uh CH uh the licenses do we have a an editable copy of that of the licenses I doubt it you don't want to well on um legal arguments you shouldn't well what I'm leading up to is is that there's some CH we don't we don't have it that's make those to make us a an advisory recommendation on possibly again for future license that's okay I don't know how it will go I know how it has gone wait get down into this the bill would have this Bob and whoever all gather together things that we need

and proof that we're doing great stuff and we need all the money and all of these things and then that gets all sort of piled into what they go off and then negotiate um so we'll see how that process goes can we just keep um lease agreements as a standing agenda item so we can discuss either lease agreement at either any meeting in case you mean license uh yes I keep saying lease I'm sorry I I mean license I when I say lease I mean license apologize sure so what just license discuss uh just review review licenses review current and future yeah just licensing agreements is like a like you how you have bills or Treasures puras licensing agreements that way we're safe to discuss either one um as as we're meeting if there's something that catches our fancy or we know we need to be discussing it's just always on there because that's like our priority are are these agreements and knowing them Soup To Nuts licenses and agreements I'm not sure what agreements but licenses okay um but hopefully you'll get an answer from time manag oh is that a microphon it is y it is and what's it doing on my to to pick up your voice better go to go where for my oh oh I see is that when I have time with gole those don't work very well and I saw something like this with L That's good I've never seen that um see I'm following back all right well is there anything else

no uh make a motion to Jaren I'll second it mo didn't second it not the big all in favor we on