Um, all right. Let me call this meeting of the cable negotiating committee to order. Um, we've got uh our Sunderland rep is not here. Our Deerfield rep is not here, but we certainly have some people. I know Brian
is from Sunderland. And um I'm sorry I don't recognize uh the woman in the red shirt who's joined us remotely. Um can you say who you are, please? If that's me, it's skeleton from Sunderland.
You're also from Sunland. Thank you. I I just I think you told me your name last time and I forgot it. I'm sorry about that. I did. How dare you? Jeez. Yeah. Well, just keep the red on, Gail, and I'll I'll get it next time. Ah,
okay. Um I think uh our agenda item is really just to uh continue our progress on the negotiation and at this point it's really about the um the hearing and the open house. Um
and we need to keep that door closed or we're going to keep having the echo. So can we close, Daisy? All right. So, um I don't not sure who to I know John is doing a lot with the open house. Um Bill, but maybe you want
to talk about what we're doing. Sure. Yeah. I just going to send one thing. I got to put it on the screen, too. But, um let me just send this to the folks. Okay. One second. Let's see. All right.
Just attach this. Don't hit us. Okay. One second. Okay. Okay. Let me set this. All right. So getting ready for the uh hearing as you said, Joyce and um so I think it's the
7th, right? Uh October uh 7th. Yeah. And do we have a time for that? Did we pick a I think we didn't say like 6 something. I think the open house is for six. Yeah, the hearings at 7. The hearing That's right. Open house six. I forgot
that. Okay. Open house. Great. So I have some questions. What needs to be advertised in the flyers and press release for this? Yeah. So I guess we have to Are you an official committee
as a I think well I was appointed by someone from my town and Right. But otherwise does does the Frontier Cable Committee exist as we do have a board of oversight. I can CC them.
Yeah. I think you mean the committee who's meeting now we are committee uh we have to follow open meeting law but the other committee that's relevant here is the uh board of FCAT uh which right no but I mean it's like it's not
like it's each individual town but you're you're like in effect you're like a government for if although maybe not in created by law you you consider yourself a government body and you when you advertise if take a look at your
notice. Um, you I've been told that we have to post for hearings 14 days in advance. So, I figured maybe Yeah. No, no, no. I know. I was just trying to take a look at uh Let me take a look at your notice. Um,
let's see. And be good to have a press release go out, too. I actually just met the reporter for this new area for another unrelated um Epcat thing. Okay. So, I'm taking a look at the notice you do
and um franchise negotiating committee and when you put up open meeting law notices, do you put that under each like I noticed this notice has each town above? Yeah, it gets posted on the websites of all three towns and um
Right. Right. And you and Okay. All right. So, so will um well, I'll do it I'll do a legal notice for you. Now, the legal notice will let's talk about which is is it's it's just going to be the hearing and not the open house. Is that
correct? Or you want to I mean we can we'll say the open house, but we're not considering the open are we are we cons I guess whether it's you deliberate. Let's talk about whether the open house is a meeting. So the open house is more Oh, that's
your need one. No, there's one there. I am not in the window. Sorry. So the open house is something because we are holding it in the same building that FCAT is housed in. I think it would be a good opportunity for people in the community
to come check us out and see our So do so we're going to call it it's the FCAT open house. Yes. Right. Okay. So it's going to be FCAT open house. So then if it's the FCAT open house, I think we should leave it out of the the open meeting law notice or out
of the notice well out out of both out of the open meeting law notice and leave it outside of the public hearing notice under state uh under state regulation. We're just going to consider it's all right. So that that notice will only
discuss the committee as a committee meeting and I'll mention it's comprised of of of representatives of the three three towns. So uh Bill, for my press releases and stuff, is it all right and poster for
the open house? Is it all right if I submit them to you for your approval and guidance? Yeah. Yeah, I'll be happy to look at it. I mean, if these guys authorize it, that's fine. So legitimate. So with that, um, we'll have a a a newspaper notice we need to put in, as
you said, 14 days in advance. And, uh, so I could draft that over the weekend. And if we get that in, let's talk about the newspaper. Is do you have a once a week or do you have a daily or what do you have?
The greenfield reporter would be Okay, that's a daily. Okay. So assuming let me turn this up. Um we may let's take a look here 12. All right. So I guess we'll probably get if we get
that in Monday. Uh they may be able to certainly by Thursday. Um well the count men who are on will have a better idea what has been the practice. But but in the notice though through the
period of time we do have some uh with the seventh is the is the hearing go back twice one second. Uh, we have to have it in
by the uh the 20 the the well the 23rd. Well, they have to publish it by the 23rd for us to have the meeting on the 7th. Greg, does that like giving them I'm sure they could do that. Usually two or three days.
It's usually two or three days. Yeah. Okay. Sometimes. Yeah. Okay. Sometimes two days. All right. So, I'll do a notice and I'll send it around for Monday and, you know, maybe just get published, you know, sometime next week. I mean, I it can't
be know the reporter is there, but it can't be that slow that they couldn't get it later in the week. Um, if they're a daily. All right. So, all right. So, with that, we'll do a notice. Now, separate from that, we need the publication, as you said, Jonathan, of
of of the open house. So you're going to draft something up for that and and then these folks authorize my just looking at it just for you know beside the legal issues more importantly just how effective it is.
What information should I include in that since this is an open house that takes place before the hearing? What what information should I include? I mean, I I would I would think we would say that it's to be f it's followed by a uh a cable franchise negotiating
committee hearing, public hearing to hear from the public and and and let me send I have this document here. Let me put this up and I can kind of when you send me something you can like you can look at the well this is this is not not your
document but it's whether we want to have a document about the hearing. I just need I need to find the share part here. What does it say? Share. Jonathan, can you give him permission? Yes. Share. Okay. All right. You can press al
say s and it will automatically do it. Yeah. Okay. All right. There you go. All right. Just gave you permission, Bill. All right. So, um
trying to find maybe I didn't I put this up this way. One second here. All right. Okay, we are going to um record the hearing as well.
Good. Yeah, we don't have to. They could have it. They can bring a transcription just if they want. Um the old days they did. They don't do it much now, but I I don't know. Okay, so here's I sent to everyone by email, too, just you know when the meeting started.
This is like a public information sheet. It's just a sample. So I think what we can do if we can go over something like this now just look at it and then anyone could you know maybe I can work with Joyce and
one other person on drafting something with you. Um actually that was peey but you know going over the hearing the purpose of the hearing and the areas um that you might be looking at to improve and expand.
Uh so did do a lot to to help provide services to the schools and government meetings with the whole COVID 19 pandemic. We also you transform our bolden board as sort of being a information delivery system on vaccines and everything too.
So there's some good spots in there. All right. So what maybe what Jonathan, you and I, you know, offline can go over a public information sheet and maybe I know Joyce, you you're back, you're back home, right? So maybe um the three of us could pick a
a you know a day next week where we'd spend a half an hour on video conference just coming up with our own public information sheet to see if we want to do one. that available for the public, you know,
for the hearing to give them an idea for um what I usually do at our annual meetings, Bill, is I do sort of a general manager's report on sort of what Epcat has done for the previous year. Do you want me to do something like that that sort of summarizes the studio and
what its mission has been, how we helped out during the pandemic and Yeah. No, no. Yeah, I want you to do that. and we talked about maybe doing even a video. Now, I have I'll send to everyone. I have a have a lot of hearings, but I have a pretty good one in Falmouth. It's kind of long, but if you watch it, I think it might be
helpful uh to uh so I'll send you that if you could look at it. It'll give you a sense. And yeah, and Jonathan, yeah, if you would put that together and we talked about maybe putting a video. Falmouth has a video. They you'll it's
shown by Deb Rogers, the access director in within the hearing, which you would do. So, you could take a look at that also. So, I'll send that to you. Uh uh I can definitely make one because I did a really nice one out of our 2023
year review couple year. I didn't do one last year because I got a horrendous case of laryngitis and wasn't able to do it. But I can definitely put together a nice one and I'll send I'll send you maybe two examples. Not to say you need that, but you can look at them and then uh if you can put that
together and then put together like a little No, but but they're kind of weird. The video may do that rather you know you know take we'll take a look at like like the found one. See if whether you want to include that in your video. We just need to spark their minds in
other words. So, um, we need to say a few a few things that gets the people in the audience to think about topics they may want to discuss, you know, and obviously we want people there who we know are going to be positive. I mean, we publics, but we want to, you know,
reach out to people who we know support community television and Frontier Community Television and make sure they're there. So, you know, everyone should reach out to people who reach out to people and I always say you contact them, you know, next week and you speak to them a day or two before because we
want, you know, the only way you're going to get a good um turnout in the world where people are so busy and uh and other things uh is to make is to reach out and remind them what it is and
importantly how speaking for one can make a big difference in terms of the cable license and funding the towns get. I mean, they there's nothing they can do more briefly that has more of a positive impact than to be heard and
seen at a cable hearing as we then go into negotiations with uh Eene and Comcast. So, so with that, uh, we'll pick a day. Uh, we can do it offline. That works for tightest schedule. You
know, it's probably, uh, Joyce and, you know, and then Jonathan, you probably pretty close to be tied. So, we'll do that. I I'll send everyone the video. If you could look at it's a little if you could take a look at the Fmouth video. It's a little long, but really, you know, they have a lot more
business and art and culture and they used to have Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. I don't know what they have left, but uh but but you know, but but that you folks have a lot too. All right. So with that um uh the notice the
open house uhformational she uh sheet you'll send me Joyce Jonathan and I will work on the p public information sheet for the hearing. Uh, do you want to Jonathan say anything about I my recommendation is
you have snacks as we talked about for people. You know, maybe I'll bake something for you pizza holiday and get a platter cookies from BJ's and maybe a veggie platter from somewhere. Yeah. Well, I don't think BJ's has a chance
against my cookies, but we'll find out. If you want, by all means, but No, no, no. You should do BJ's. I'm kidding. But, uh, I'll do mine, too. I'll do something. The cookies are probably better than brownies. All right, so um All right, let's talk about reaching out
to community. You Jonathan have you have members, correct? Members or do you have members or not? Well, we have two priests and Well, do we have actually people like do you pay dues and become a cat?
Not right now. Okay. So you have people who use the facility and borrow equipment maybe for some public access. Yeah. John, he's trying to come up with how do we reach out to people so that they will show up the people who benefit.
So right now we use Facebook and Instagram. Kevin Murphy has um stated that he would like to be involved with helping advertise it. I'm going to be setting up a table at one of the upcoming football games to help get the word out, too. Um, well, I need to get
permission to do that first, but I'll be reaching out to the athletic director probably today or next week about that. Do you think we could get the athletic director to come to the hearing? I can talk to him. Um, and be nice to get testimony from him about how Kevin's programs have not only been
into kids, but have helped that school out. Yeah. And uh, get Kevin to be there. Could Kevin is who? Could we get some students? Yeah. that Kevin recruit some students to come. I can bring it up with them. I'll send them to That's important. I don't know. Is there
a superintendent? Is there a media person? Uh who else can I think? Yeah, Kevin's the most involved there, but we do. And who who's Kevin? Darius. Okay. What's the title? His athletic director.
Just let him know. Darius is the superintendent. We have a good relationship with him. Yeah. I mean it's always great to have the superintendent that carries a lot of weight. Yeah. And uh and if someone especially can if they could testify by Zoom I think you're
we are going to have a Zoom feed set up and I can think of a few students uh former staff members but also a couple students like the most recent ones we had last year who I'm sure would love to put in the good work for us. Yep. Um we also have Matt Carlson. He's not
in the area, but I'm sure this FCAT definitely did a lot for him and we can see if he's available because he's got he's he is really built on his experience at EP. He's he has an impressive career. Let's just go like that. It would be
awesome if we could get somebody like him behind. Yeah. and you're and you're sort of some like you're if you're making a video to highlight what we're doing these like awards and the videos that students are able to make for competitions should be
we were also involved with helping a a very talented young man at Frontier produces student film the verdict film he did an excellent job with that and you know we're able to help students out with get their careers going and help them
anybody else who wants to get it seriously any of those students would be willing to be there. I know the student that did diverted is still in school and we can see if Kevin can maybe talk to them. Yeah. Yeah. Because I think that makes a lot of difference too. We will send you a copy of a verd so you
could type of see sort of what we're striving experience this meeting. What? Oh, I said, "Oh, I said I wish we could uh hear a little bit more too about uh any other perspective experiences." I mean, I mean, I think
it's great to have have um experiences that are past, but also like aren't we looking for like, you know, future sort of ideas as well. Yes. You know, anyone who has some ideas about particularly things like programs, operations.
Okay. No, I just I'm just trying to clarify what Yeah. What? Past, present, and future. Yes. Okay. Thanks. Yep. And that, you know, and and but a lot of that takes really to reach out to a few people, you know, who use it or may use
it or would be interested and get them to say, you know, they'd love to be able to come uh whatever it may be. Produce a program or things they like to watch, they like to see on uh on uh um
on on Peg Access. But one of the things, let me let me pull one other thing up here. So, I sent you this information and I'll work with that with you. Let me put one other thing up here. Let me find it. Know that people do watch the channels film because I get compliments from
people for a lot of the sports coverage that they see on the channels. I also run a lot of public domain industrial films and I get compliments for those that people like seeing like the old like are these emails by any chance? No, they're word amounts. Uh well
because maybe those are also the people to to talk to. Um and if you can remember who they are and they wouldn't have to be I know one of them lived in weight but I don't know if she's still in the area cuz Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That's so we go.
And I I do know one guy I bump into him at Cumberland Farms once in a while and he always compliments, "Oh, I love the film you did or I love seeing that old General Motors how it was made film type deal." Those are public domain. We run those. Okay. Yeah. Because it would be good to
have I mean I know we'll get a lot of um uh sorry Kevin will gather a group from the school to come for sure and then he's good at getting students to come to do things. Kevin also does an excellent job taking as you see our wall over here
photographing experiences. We have like photos from like events. We even have photos from the student film screening we did at the garden cinemas for averted. That was a special real special event that we did. So there is I mean that's a no-brainer to get Kevin and all of the
documentation he's done and all of the students that he can get to pack the room. Um, but I think we need other people in the community and your lead on people who watch and enjoy those movies. I don't know how to follow up on that. But so the other
I will look into it, but I think what we should do is maybe maybe we do a set two posters, one for the open house, but then we do a second one for the hearing calling for like testimony about how you like watching FCAT. Uh, yeah. I don't know if we're going to
get people to respond to a poster. I think people would respond to John calling them on the phone. No. Or John replying to the email. Hey, you really like that thing, could you come on this Tuesday and let Comcast know because that's going to affect our funding,
right? Yeah. I mean, that's that's how that's what people would respond to a lot more than just seeing something up at the post office, you know. Okay. I'm still going to do the posters just as a as a thing. Just you never know. It's good to explore. outlets and
I am good with designing stuff. Yeah. Gail, are you would you be willing to come to the hearing? Very I can't hear you. Okay, I'm unmuted. When is the hearing?
Uh it's October 7th. Uh the hearing is 7 p.m. and it's right after the open house which will be at 6 p.m. What's the location? Oh, sorry. I wonder what Gail interceptction. So, is that something you think you
could come to? Um, I could try to I myself, just so that you know, if you haven't met me in person, am blind, and so I would need to get a ride, but I could certainly try to do that. Oh, okay. All right. Some of these people are at the South County Senior
Share. I can talk to Jennifer Remlard or excuse me, Jennifer. Yeah. Ferrara. Yeah. Um, yeah, I could do that. I'm h I'm happy to give Gail a ride myself if she's willing to get into my car.
I I can't imagine it's something I wouldn't. Yeah, I am not a professional driver, but my car is in good shape, so that's No, that's good. Just so you know, I have a black German Shepherd guide dog. Okay.
All right. Okay. And Brian, our German, would you be willing to come to this hearing? Yeah, I could I could be there. Okay, great. So, we'll have at least two members of the public from Sunderland.
Um, so maybe what I have to do is start in my day-to-day conversations with people in weight, see if I can get uh at least a couple of like um I don't know, just plain folks, like people who aren't necessarily affiliated with one thing or another. um who who might be able to
come and advocate and then Deerfield. When is your fall festival? Oh um that would be in the weight scoop which I have up on. It's not October 5th is it? No, it's end of October generally.
Sorry, end of September. End of September. Um because that might be a place to set up a table. I would like to do something there and I also have to call my festival of the hills this year. Oh, that's a those are both uh good
calls. I will look up when the waiting is and even though we're not renegotiating Conway, there are people from these other three towns that go there and that would help get the word out. Okay. The fall festival 28th. Okay.
September 28th. Send me a press release on that too so I could get the um Okay. I will send you the the slides up for it. Okay. Uh I'm going to send you the fall newsletter for the weight society. And thank you.
It's in there. And I'll put in request for I'll go there and talk to you guys on Tuesday about setting up a table and just what we would need. No. Okay. I was actually at an internship fair at UMass recently. I'll show you a picture. still there.
Yeah, we're here. Okay. Okay, that looks like a nice I just bought a new tablecloth, too. So, okay. Well, then that's what the candy's for. Um, Greg, do you have any um any ideas?
How could we do some outreach in Deerfield in the next few weeks to see about getting people to come from Deerfield to this hearing? I can talk to Greg. Greg, do you have some ideas? Yeah, of course. I mean, we can we can put up a news flash on the on the
website. We can uh get it out there through uh social media. Deerfield now is a a good place to do it where most of the town residents belong to that. U so yeah. Yeah. The other thing too, Greg, is you guys changed the special town meeting to a
night that I can be there. I can set up a table at the gymnasium in or in the lobby area for FCAT at that meeting, too. Which when is this the town meeting? It's Monday, October 29th, I think, isn't it? But that's after the
That's after it, though. Jonathan. Ah, never mind. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's all right. It's just Yeah. Um, so yeah, that that's something we can we can do right away. Are there any um recreation events
coming up like the recreation department's doing in the coming weeks or so? Curiosity. Uh, possibly. We just, you know, we just, uh, brought on a new rec director, so um, she's, uh, just getting her her feet on the ground right now. So, um, I
mean, I can check with her. advance, let me know so I can maybe talk about getting a new table set up or so. Okay. Okay. I'll make an effort to be there. This month's going to be crazy. Yeah. Yeah. It might be a crazier month
for you because of this. Yes. Um, Bill, I like that. I like that petition you just put. Can I just ask a quick question about the the the um openhouse hearering which is October 7th
at at 7 PM and it's at at the FE FCAT uh studios. Right. Right. The 22 school street. And are you guys going to do any kind of like um uh like a public announcement sort of
you know one sheet for it? I mean might be might be helpful just you know like have the FCAT logo and that kind of stuff. So what we are going to do is the open house is going to be in the space we're in now right but we're going to hold the hearing in the conference room in
Sunderland Town office and we're going to do maybe I would like to do a poster separate from the It sounds like we should do something for the open house but then something completely separate from the hearing is what I'm hearing. But it's the same night though, correct? The same night. Yeah.
Yeah. So the hearing is going to be at what time? Seven. And the open house is is before it. Correct. Gotcha. Same location. We thought it'd be a good opportunity to try to show off the facility so people can see what we have
and Yeah. Yeah. Sure. I just trying to get the timing that's all. Yeah. Great. Okay. Thank you. Yes. And I think as for as far as like handouts go, the previous one that Bill put up was a template for a handout
public information that we can give out that that would be on the day of, right, Bill? The previous you know, I think we could do it we could we since you know it's it's paper I think we can do it beforehand for someone who might be interested and Okay. and the day for everybody.
Okay. and just say, you know, just if it if it helps spark any ideas you'd like to follow up on. And then this choice as you said, this is a petition I've tweaked I've done in the past. You know, if you got enough Indians, I can't say
that who are Native Americans, right? The chiefs and Native Americans. Uh that, uh, you know, you who go out and get, you know, and you should go to places like Jonathan said, and get petitions signed, you know, you come up with 200 of these, it has some effect.
Okay. You know, and we can reward it on our on our internal meeting with Joyce and uh Jonathan from the committee, but um and I particularly like this part I wrote here. I wrote I wrote this 25 years ago, but would you you were a family member
and that's important to say family member be interested in learning how to use a digital video camera, edit video on a computer or assist in cablecasting and a lot of people say yes. And that's good evidence there's an interest in the community. One of the things we want to push too is how to properly shoot with these like
you hold it this way not this way type deal. Yeah. That's one complaint I get from people all the time. Yeah. It's a lot about that there. Yeah. So all right. So why don't we work on that also? Uh and the petition you know
we you know the sooner we get started the better but you know there's no one day we have to start but it'd be helpful. Okay. So, good email that to everybody, right? The a copy of this petition. Yeah. Yep. I I I'll send this I was going to I'll send that to when I when I
leave the meeting. I'll I'll send this one to everybody. Okay. Perfect. And the other one I sent and Bill would um I was thinking we can have those available for people like in the lobby of our town office building, our town hall.
All that. Oh, for people who just happen to be coming by and maybe can't attend the hearing, but yeah, like right have the poster right above it and just, you know, have a sign say you want something like this by chance, but these are expensive.
You know, the only thing is it is government. It is your speech, not somebody else's. But I guess I'm still feeling like on our conversation yesterday, uh, Becky, that if you open up, even though this is government speech, it's different from public from
the public wanting to put a petition. I think you're better off not putting it. So you don't open up the Pandora's box that someone says you made it a public forum. Okay. Well, I don't think I get that. And the the hearing is a public forum.
Well, no, I know. But but if you put a it is this is all about the the town and therefore the town can put up a petition and tell somebody else they can't put a petition up in town hall. But I just think with my town council hat and Becky and I were talking about this yesterday
in another context. you're better off not putting a petition that people can sign like at your town hall because then you're gonna get other groups who say, "Well, I want, you know, uh, against abortion, for abortion, against this, for this." And then when you tell them
no, they can try to argue that you you you made it a public forum open to anybody because you had a petition there last year. And we'll say, "Well, that was a town petition. It was different." But I I I don't want you to be in a position where people try to go after
you in that because if they go after you and sue you, they sue you for a first amendment violation in that. Thank you for I'm glad I asked. Yeah. No, good question. But I rather it's not important enough to raise that
that concern. And I can also have the petitions at the tables. I manage too. Yeah. Yeah. That that's different. Yep. Yeah. All right. So, um, so I said I'm going to send out
that Felmouth video a link and please, it's long, but you find it interesting, I think. So, please watch it, including the beginning, the video done by the director. Uh, and you just get a sense so people don't have to speak very long and get when you get to the end, I think they have the the head of the, as I
mentioned, the uh, Woods Hole uh, oceanographic institute. a great great presentation uh short and you know and it meant a lot that someone in that kind of position came to a cable hearing to be heard about how important community
television was to to them. Hey Bill, did you uh did you send that to everybody? I don't see an email, you know. I I'll send it right now. Okay. Thanks. I'll send everybody while we're here. I'll find the uh Yeah,
actually I'll do on the other computer. I'll be right back. Just hop on there. I'll send it to everybody to see the video I did for 2023. Okay. Give Bill a chance to send that out. Yep.
So the first one I I didn't. So there you go. You said something to everybody or just h everybody. So Brian, Peter, Greg, and Bill all have it.
They all has it, too. Oh, you sent it on Zoom. Yeah. Okay. Oh, okay. Good. All right. I'll send this way, too. Look at that. I think I actually saw the Falmouth one. This was it because that was may have been produced as part of the mass access
campaign they're doing to try to get the streamy bills passed. Oh, good. I know. We're trying to get some promotional videos done. And actually, this is something I could probably submit their way, too, if they're interested as well. um tailor to their
need to last. Go ahead. Sounds good. Okay. Um All right. Let's see. So, this is Oh, boy. Let's see. All right. So,
okay. So, I'll resend the uh public information sheet just to oops and then another interesting thing that I've gotten compliments for is the bolden board. A lot of people have told me that they really like the graphics and like
designs they do for that. Hi, it's Marcy. I spent a whole hour and somebody needs a mute. It sounds like All right. This one is oops is just um right the sample samples still because I keep everything
All right. Um, hey, Bill, I received the the uh sort of hearing document again, but Yeah. No, I'm doing the uh the link down. Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Yep. Here it goes. I didn't send anyone yet. So, here it goes.
There you go. Yep. Good. Okay. Um Okay. Um stop. Uh yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. Good. All right. So, um you know, I think the
minutes the notes from this meeting would be helpful to put together for some if someone would do that. And um I guess that's that's what I have today for you know, and we do want to get the I'll get the notice out the draft notice uh by Monday uh to to you folks to look
at. And I assume I should post that also in the towns as a public. Yeah, that's it's always it's always helpful to put them on the bulletin boards. And Jonathan Yeah. What about the South County Senior
Center and South County EMS? Could you say that again? The senior center and South County EMS because we do a lot for them too. Well, if if you know if you had someone who would go to um
to a council on aging event, a lunchon or something, if you were allowed to speak briefly to people, tell them what it's about and ask them if if they could participate at the hearing either in person or on Zoom if they know how. Um that's always helpful. I mean, the
more people we can get, the better. And when we at the hearing itself, uh I don't know if you have people sign in or not. I always mix feelings on that, but but we want to tell people I'll have an outline for the hearing. So, an example, let me just put something up here.
So, we we we want to say to people who have time issues that please let us know so we can try to get you up front or we work with those time issues. Um, let me just let me see. All right. So, let me just put this up as a sample
here. As many of them I have and sometimes I I wrote this little thing about peg access. So, I've written this up for first to the for the a mayor in the Northshore. Um, so I do I do like an outline like the mayor. This was the mayor the public
here, you know, the opening of what what you need to say, the purpose, the current license, uh, the fact it was published, and then introducing the Comcast rep.
Um, and then, um, introducing me. I all I say is that that a lot of times you go to a meeting and everyone will say the same thing and people roll their eyes like people already said that but here this is our opportunity to be heard and so even if
you have the same thing to say as somebody else if if you just you know you can say more briefly or you could reiterate those comments but it makes a difference. So, if someone stands up at a hearing and says they they think it's important to have um HD uh for PEG
access and then everyone else says, "Well, someone already said that. I'm not going to say anything." And then we go to negotiation and the Comcast rep could say, "Well, only one per only one person spoke about that." So, I that's the only blurb I give. And
then, uh you know, we Oh, what about state I don't know, state reps or senator or local officials? Any anyone have some thoughts? Our state rep lives in the three towns, so I my guess is we could get her possibly. You know, she's available. She
seems to be willing to come to things. Good. So, I'll take the responsibility to email her. Um, let's see. Our senator is from like way out west town. I'm not sure that I
could get him to come, but I can certainly ask. Yeah. Okay. You know, and then if there's any other local officials, you know, board members or members of boards who particularly if they get coverage once in a while or would like to have
coverage they don't have now and for special meetings orformational meetings. So, I I'll put together this as we get closer. I'll put together an outline for the hearing. Okay. I think that's a good uh a good
one. We don't have a mayor. Um, yeah. No, I'll give you a sample. Here's I'll I'll get you one here for a uh and the chair of this committee. So, how long have you been in office? Maybe you'll be the mayor for the dictator for a day.
This year is my 25th year as of being a selectman. Wow. Not 20. 15. Sorry. 15. Not 25th. Feels like 30. Feels like 30, but right now 15. This is my 15th year in the selectman seat. Um, and it happens to be your last year of your three-year term as your chair in
our town. So, I am also the chair in Wheatley, but I'm also the chair of this committee. Um, and uh I chair too damn many things. South Carolina senior center board of oversight chair. Um, so I I would be if you need someone
who's going to be essentially the MC, then feel free. And you're the chair of this committee, so yeah, that that'd be great. Thank you. So here um what did I put this share? Let's see. This is like the Fmouth one. I don't know if it's big enough,
but um let me see view. Okay. But the Fmouth one, you know, where uh same type of thing. Yeah. Sort of like the agenda for a detailed agenda for the meeting. So, in a sense, since we're calling the
hearing, we the uh franchise um committee uh it's our meeting. We get to set the agenda. We get we call on people and so on. The Comcast folks are are guests at that hearing, but they're clearly special guests, right?
Right. Yes. Yeah. And I I usually say they usually don't want to speak. Hopefully, we'll try to encourage you to be there in person. Uh yeah. And with that means we should on Monday let her know about it. Yeah. Um and um
could that be one of your things to do? You know, it's probably better coming from you if you or someone. I mean, I'm happy to do it. But if it comes from you first, I think that's good. And then I can follow up. I think you should follow because she
has never returned an email to me. Yeah. No, I hear that. So you send the first one, copy me and then I'll follow up right away. But that way it comes from you. It helps and I'll follow up and and say hey you
know Eileen really helpful to be there and sometimes I bit here is that uh not to press them that they're there as an observer as this is part of the ascertainment process. We will not ask Eileen Viz Ley to speak or address a
question. this evening. Uh but appreciate them being here and and some of them say, "But you, you know, I feel free to say something uh if you like to respond at any point, but no obligation or need to." Um that also helps get them there. They don't have to worry that they're going to be attacked or
questions. Yeah. Okay. Hey, Bill. Um yeah, just a quick question. I I sent you a um a letter that uh was a part of our agreement. uh 10 years ago. I don't know if you had
a chance to read it. Well, you know, I didn't see it. Let me take let me uh there's a memorializing an agreement between Comcast and the town of Deerfield regarding highdefinition peg channels that at any point in the future if any of the 33 western Mass communities excluding Log Meadow in
which Comcast currently offers service that if they provide a highdefinition PEG uh channel that it would be offered to Deerfield within 12 months. Oh, and and and you know, it's a little different than Eastern, but I take it they've done that.
Well, that's what I don't know. I don't think Do we have I mean, um Jonathan, does Deerfield have high definition a high definition channel? No. No, but I mean I I think they've done it in the what? They've done it in Ammer Emerson,
Northampton. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, I I didn't see that. I must have missed it. So, let me take a look at it. Yeah. because I think that might change the negotiations a little. Yeah, we should pursue it up. Um Okay. And it's time to pursue it. Yes. And that's good. Usually it's about they'll
talk to us, but that letter is stronger that they'll they'll do it. So good. And I believe that's in all three towns. If it's in the Deerfield contract, it's in all three towns. Yeah, it might be. And that that that strengthens our negotiations. The side. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. So, that's that's really helpful. Yep. We all have the same right. Okay, great. Well, um, is there anything we've left out? Does anybody here um have
anything they want to add or uh an idea that they want to follow up on? I feel like I've got like all this to do. So, I feel like my dance card is full.
Um, but I appreciate any help anybody else can give us, especially for promoting uh FCAT at this point of promoting our cable access so that we get folks to show up. I I guess one note I was thinking of um when my son was at
Frontier almost 20 years ago. Uh he got a lot out of FCAT and it was when FCAT was just starting. Uh and I think it really helped him kind of become the very um what's the right word? Uh he's the
wellspoken young man that he is. And I think he has to work on the night of October 7th and will not be able to get it off. Written testimony can be submitted as well in a case like that. Right.
Is that right, Bill? Say that again. Written test. So somebody said, "Yeah, I really great experience. I'd like Yeah, I heard you talk about your son's experience." But um yeah, so at the end we say that you know ascertainment is
not closed. written comments and letters may be submitted. We don't we're not going to give them at this kind of date. So yeah, we want to encourage people uh now because there's a psychological effect on this. I really you're really way better off getting people to speak there
that Eileen feels that. So yeah, very helpful to say look you know being there in person even if on Zoom for one minute speaking really impactful much more important than something is in writing but then and we just always have
another hearing but at another if it's later they you know they can put it in writing but there's just at a good hearing there's a psychological effect it's a halo that goes on for about a month uh or so and uh and that causes the the Comcast
person to want to realize that this is a serious matter and they need to uh to seriously negotiate. So if you can convince them to come in person or on Zoom, I mean the Zoom aspect, a lot of most places don't do hearings on Zoom. It's good that you are as an option.
Same thing there. If they can come in person, that's better than Zoom, but if they can't, Zoom's fine. All right. Well, I feel like we're at the end of our useful time together. Um, I know Bill and John and I will be in
touch again u about some of these things, but uh we should probably set our next meeting date before we head out. Uh, do we need to have another meeting before the forum or can we just before the hearing? Before the hearing. I think we should
just make sure everything's finalized and if there's any last minute nooks and crannies that need to be addressed. Okay. Uh if we go two weeks from now, that's the 26th. 3 weeks from now is October 3rd. Um
Oh, Greg, is the special town meeting on Monday the 26 or Wednesday the 29th? I thought it was on the Monday before. Wednesday. Okay. Wednesday the 29th. Yep. Maybe we should meet on the 26th then of Monday. Well,
no, she's she's thinking of September. Friday. Oh, yeah. I'm looking at 2025. September. Yeah, that day works for me. Sorry. September 26 is a Friday. That works. And we've been doing Friday afternoons. That seems to be working.
So, um, let's go to our next another thing on here. Post the meeting. Thank you, Joyce. Thank you, Joyce. And uh two 2 o'clock versus 3:00. Yes, I like 2:00. Two is better. Two is better. Okay. Y
and I'll try to eliminate all references to past 3M start times in all the literature that goes with this. There you go. Sounds good. Thank you. Quick question. Did you want me to bring up that fiber stuff today or do you want
to talk about a different day? Oh. Um, maybe we can sort of uh items not anticipated. I have no issue with that. Could you could you uh I wonder if Brian, do you have our email? Because it'd be nice to get it ahead of time to
review it maybe and then and then talk discuss it the next meeting. Would that be acceptable? Yeah, I could do that. Is that okay? Yeah. Oh, and you got the you were on are you on the group email so we can just send it to everybody or actually not. You're not. Okay. No.
Can we get Can we get your email? Can you want to put it in the chat for us? Yeah, I'll put it in the chat right now for you. Great. Thank you. Are you guys gonna do that now? Real quick. That's great, Brian. Thank you for doing that. No problem. I I really figured it'd be a good time to probably set up a meeting
with Holio Gas and Electric. Really, but I do have some info and I can explain it next time. That'd be great. Thank you. Okay. That would that would be great because that's uh that's sort of a longer term kind of project but uh still talking about it now. If we put it off
it just means it's going to be even longer term. Right. So you can start now and talk longer. Yeah. Start now. Start now. Yeah. That's right. All right. Well, if there is nothing else that people want to bring
us, I'm happy to adjourn now. Um, I don't think I don't see anybody can make a motion cuz I'm the only one here. But we don't get to vote when there's no forum. So, one sec. Oh, I have to go to the door. But goodbye,
folks. And thank you. Bye, Bill. Bye, Bill. Bye. Bye, Greg. Bye, Pete. Bye, Brian. Have a good weekend everyone. Have a good weekend. Bye, Pete. Have a good weekend. Bye. Bye.
And I'm not gonna I'm just gonna keep recording electronically. Take care of that. All right. I got got some more work to do.