It is with great distrust that I read a Time Union story on efforts to bring public access television to Albany.
In the early 1990s, the city's first cable franchise agreement was negotiated. It turned into a 10-year deal for our cable company but failed to provide community access.
Fourteen years later, the need and call for a public access station is still very much alive and being forced into discussions by average citizens not mentioned in the Times Union article.
The agreement between the city and Time Warner Cable expired in 2004, but remains in effect in the absence of a new one.
Recent increases in property taxes, including the 8 percent hike, should serve as a reminder of Mayor Jerry Jennings' inability to increase revenue streams for the city. Time Warner should pay its share for having a profitable monopoly and residents should also enjoy extra services from additional revenue.
Anton Konev
Albany
The writer is co-chair of the Coalition to Save Albany, which has advocated for a public access television station in Albany. |
