It’s on TV? Where ONTV?
In an attempt to protect community access television from ‘critical and immediate? threats, the Orion Township Board of Trustees and Lake Orion Village Council announced their support of the Community Access Preservation Act.
The act keeps cable companies from tucking public, education and government (PEG) channels in convoluted menus or in high-numbered channels, like the 900s, according to Orion Neighborhood Television (ONTV), LO’s local community access provider.
Why move PEG programming from lower channes?
‘Because PEG channels don’t make them any money,? said ONTV’s Diane Griffiths, who also sits on the Orion Community Cable Communications Commission (OCCCC).
?(PEG channels) are important channels and we want them to be treated fairly,? added Griffiths. ‘The federal law is that access channels have to be treated the same as local broadcast channels, offered at the lowest level of service so anybody can afford them.?
She and the commission are especially frustrated with local cable providers AT&T and Comcast.
Griffiths says with AT&T’s U-verse, all PEG channels in southeast Michigan are together in a menu on channel 99, and finding local access channels is a multi-step process.
‘They’re clumping all onto one channel so they free up bandwidth for other channels they can sell,? Griffiths said. ‘Each step takes several seconds to do, so it’s not like you can just, boom, boom, boom, flip through the channels.?
Griffiths also noted that viewers can’t use the ‘last? or ‘previous? button on the remote to quickly move back and forth between two channels, adding further inconvenience.
AT&T spokespeople did not return calls for comment from The Review.
While Comcast still offers PEG programming low on the channel list ? channels 10 and 20, locally ? community access TV nearly ended up stashed away in the 900s before a lawsuit filed by three Michigan municipalities put a halt to the move, said Griffiths.
According to Patrick Paterno, Comcast’s director of communications in Michigan, the cable provider has ‘no plans? to move PEG channels in the future.
Paterno says the only change customers may have noticed in PEG channels is that they’re now offered in digital format in addition to analog. He would not comment on reasons ? past or present ? for moving community access TV to higher channels.
Griffiths says PEG channels are important because they ‘keep people connected to the community. It’s where we put concerts in the park and graduation, battle of the books ? stuff that’s happening in Orion that you won’t see anywhere else.?
ONTV also broadcasts township board of trustees, village council and school board meetings.