9.  Engaging in Telecom Policy

Far too often, decisions about the local media environment are made elsewhere--in Washington, where high-priced lawyers and lobbyists ply their trade, and in corporate boardrooms, where the spoils that result from such market-driven policy are divided among the entertainment conglomerates.  If there's an exception to this rule, it can be found in the cable franchising process, in which communities have an opportunity both to secure a portion of the cable infrastructure for community use (the so-called PEG set-aside and I-Nets) and then to develop this valuable asset to its full civic, educational, and cultural potential. Nick Miller, of the law firm Miller & Van Eaton has prepared an overview of the regulatory environment that permits such media activism at the local level, and a colleague at Miller & Van Eaton, Frederick Ellrod, authored a presentation entitled "PEG Opportunities in the Franchise Renewal Process" (100kb PowerPoint).