Membership Fee Increase Proposed at Access Sacramento

At the October board of directors’ meeting last week, the board created a proposal to increase membership from $30 to $60 annually. Additional input is sought during a 2nd public hearing planned Nov. 15.

Other options include a variety of billing options including two $30 billing dates of March 1 and Sept. 1.  An existing discount for seniors and students would be extended to veterans under one proposal.  A scholarship style application for assistance for those who could not afford the increase is also being considered. A early renewal program  under current rates prior to implementation of any fee increase is also proposed.

Membership fees at Access Sacramento have been unchanged since 2002 when they were increased $5 to $30/annually from the original $25 price set in 1987.

Access Sacramento in the last three years has finished a complete upgrade to high-definition equipment and this year will complete a remodel of its digital media lab.  This higher level of capacity combines with urgent concerns over the future of cable broadcasting in America.

Board members heard a summary of proposed rule-making from the FCC to allow the cable industry to keep more on the money it collects instead of allowing some to partially flow back to the cities and counties who mandate the existence of public, education and government access channels like Access Sacramento.

The Access Sacramento board of directors sought input on whether it might be time to consider an increase in the annual membership fees based on the FCC proposals, on other indicators of reduced revenue because of the the public’s shift to other forms of video delivery including satellite and internet delivered shows.

Regular adult membership includes the opportunity to provide up to 60-minutes of video programming for one of Access Sacramento’s community media public access channels.

The annual fee for seniors or full-time students is $20 per year.

Public comments on Nov. 15 will be limited to a maximum of three-minutes and a those wishing to speak should fill out a speaker card. The board will not directly respond during a public comment period but will take all input into consideration during board discussion.