Bloomfield Township
Local Cable Resolution

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WHEREAS, Bloomfield Township has held a non-exclusive local cable franchise continuously since 1984; and

WHEREAS, Bloomfield Township welcomes competition among cable/video providers and would quickly extend a local cable/video franchise to any providers that agree to the provisions stated in our current franchise; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Bloomfield Township benefit from the provisions required by the local franchise; and

WHEREAS, legislation introduced in both the Michigan legislature and in the United States Congress would strip away the rights and protections of our local franchise, resulting in loss of local control and reduction of revenues by as much as 25%; and

WHEREAS, the loss of revenue and local control would severely impact Bloomfield Township’s ability to provide Township residents with the same quality and level of services made possible by franchise fees and programming fees provided by our local franchise; and

WHEREAS, the local cable franchise guarantees that all Township residents have access to the newest services and technologies offered by the cable provider and may not be discriminated against for any reason; and

WHEREAS, the local cable franchise requires the cable provider to follow Bloomfield Township’s ordinances and to respect our local community standards governing the public rights of way; and

WHEREAS, the local cable franchise provides adequate franchise fees for the private corporation’s use of the public rights of way; and

WHEREAS, the local cable franchise provides Bloomfield Township the authority to intervene on behalf of its residents when the cable provider does not resolve their consumer complaints in a timely and fair manner; and

WHEREAS, the local cable franchise provides adequate fees to Bloomfield Township for the operation of a television studio available to all Township residents free of charge so that they may produce their own programs, and this arrangement results in:

More than 450 community-based programs annually, including

150 programs produced by local nonprofit organizations including

• Birmingham Bloomfield Arts Council
• Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition
• Birmingham Bloomfield Task Force on Race Relations and Ethnic Diversity
• Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra
• Birmingham Concert Band
• Birmingham Musicale
• Birmingham Optimist Club
• Birmingham Republican Women
• Birmingham Youth Assistance
• Bloomfield Republican Women
• Bloomfield Schools
• Bloomfield Township Public Library
• Center for New Thinking
• Christ Church Cranbrook
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• Franklin Arts Council
• League of Women Voters
• Michigan Opera Theatre
• United Homeowners Association
• United Way
• Women Officials Network
• The Community House

70 programs from local and government entities that focus on such services and programs as

• Emergency Preparedness
• West Nile Virus
• Emerald Ash Borer
• Bloomfield Township’s Master Plan
• Services for Senior Citizens
• Environmentally Friendly Landscapes
• Prevention of Invasive Plans
• Healthy Lawn Care
• Local History
• Maintenance of County Drain and Storm Sewage Systems
• Community concerts and parades

More than 230 programs produced by individual residents about a wide variety of issues including

o Health, medicine and well-being

o Diversity in our community

o Religion

o Legal topics

o Cooking shows and restaurants

o International Relations

o Societal trends

WHEREAS, the local franchise provides for adequate fees to put these programs on a public channel accessible to all cable subscribers as well as maintains the channels’ use for the broadcast of local emergency alert systems and the broadcast of other emergency information; and

WHEREAS, the local franchise also provides fees to support other important communications with our residents, such as the Township’s quarterly newsletter and its award-winning website, in order to further Bloomfield Township’s goal of running an open and transparent local government;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees hereby affirms its support for the current local cable franchise agreement system and urges federal and state policymakers to oppose legislation that takes away the authority and revenues provided to Bloomfield Township by its local cable franchise.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to our county commissioners in Pontiac, our state legislators in Lansing, our congressional legislators in Washington, D.C., Governor Granholm and the Michigan Township Association and the Michigan Municipal League.

ADOPTED this 24th day of April, 2006

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Charter Township of Bloomfield
4200 Telegraph Road
P.O. Box 489
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0489
248.433.7700

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