MACTA (Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators, Minnesota’s state chapter of NATOA) has contracted with the lobbying firm Goff Public to work on a legislative solution to modernizing funding for PEG programming (and local government rights-of-way).
A MACTA informational flyer on the effort can be found here.
To modernize funding for PEG programming there are two proposed solutions:
Fee on digital video services (MACTA’s bill)- SF 3930 as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) (mn.gov) and its companion HF 4186 as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) (mn.gov)
Franchising of broadband providers in the rights-of-way (League of MN Cities’ bill)- HF 4182 Status in the House for the 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) (mn.gov) and its companion SF 4262 Status in the Senate for the 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) (mn.gov)
Both options have been introduced in the Minnesota legislature current Session, which runs from February 12 to the end of May 2024. The digital video services fee bill is “MACTA’s” bill, and the “broadband franchising” bill is the League of MN Cities’ bill. Both organizations are working together on supporting both concepts, and it is possible/likely that the concepts could be combined into one bill as the session moves forward.
There is also interest from the authors in introducing additional language to allow municipalities to build broadband networks without the current 65% majority referendum requirement and without the current requirement that there be no other private competition in the marketplace.
WCM will be watching the progress of this legislation as it has potential to be an interesting model for use by WCM and other ACM member stations in their respective state legislatures.
More to come . . .
