Aloha All,
James Tokiokaʻs LMG committee is holding a hearing on HB2902 HD1Wednesday, February 10 at 3pm, State Capitol in Room 423
We need all available staff and supporters at this hearing. It is vital to HCIL's future that there be an unbiased and free media channel available to us. Community public access provides this channel to our communities and they are the ONLY channel that has aired our news, viewpoints, facilitates discussion of the issues of importance and promotes our organizations and events. We must defend this vital community resource against those who now cleverly attempt to silence community voices by hacking at the roots of the organizations that allow public minded citizens to speak truth to power.
Please make yourselves available for this hearing and encourage all our supporters to join us in a demonstration of our community's strength and resolve. I will send further details about this legislation in a subsequent email.
Mahalo,
Gordon Fuller
Executive Director
Hawaii Centers for Independent Living
www.myhcil.com
Subject: HB2902-Hearing Scheduled
We who support community public access TV are strongly against HB2902 an in favor of the existing integrated PEG model. Splitting the PEG money will effectively destroy successful PEG access on the neighbor islands.
HB2902 will divert 2/3 of public access funds to the state. It is a fact that the state CANNOT and WILL NOT operate our community based public access TV -- it would not be the same mission: "Empowering our Communityʻs Voice through Access to Media" The emphasis in our current model is on OUR COMMUNITY, as in "Community Access"
HB2902 is aimed at splitting the public access money -- which is counter to the philosophical intent by which the resource of public access was established. HB2902 will severely diminish the public sector and weaken the education and government sectors as well. It is obvious that splitting the public access money and technical infrastructure would remove the advantage the integrated PEG model now has of economy of scale. A split model would result in three separate entities -- requiring three-way duplication of administration, facilities, equipment, studios and staff. This make no economic or functional sense given the little amount of funding historically available to fund all these resources.
In 1997 the DCCA commissioned and issued a report entitled, "Splitting the Baby is Not the Solution". This scheme did not work then and it wonʻt work now! Our integrated PEG model is a National Best Practice Mode; (see below). Currently on Maui, 25% or, $296,634 annually) has already been diverted to UH/DOE -- and this public access money is simply swallowed up resulting in NO MEASURABLE BENEFIT or ACCESS to the greater educational community! The money which is not audited as far as we can tell goes to send DOE personnel to trade shows and, a tiny portion is used to augment existing programs at Maui High. The public access money we allocate to UH goes into the general fund and though it may occassionaly augment staff salaries at MCCʻs media center but, there is no hard evidence or accounting proving it is used for any kind of educational access. It simply is put into existing programs. The point is that currently, the money does not provide access to the greater Maui educational community.
Akaku Community TV picks up the slack. Our doors are open to ALL EDUCATION (despite the fact that we no longer receive Educational Access funding). We train teachers, hold kids camps, and create partnerships with organizations such as Kihel Charter Schools (see press release below), As far as Government Access is concerned, Akaku subsidizes the transmission and delivery of Capitol TV, provides a wide variety of government sector and public affairs programming (at no cost to government), covers County Council (at greatly reduced rates), and broadcasts Native government and hosts culture points of view (also at no cos)t.The Maui County Council is also on record of supporting the existing "integrated PEG" model whereby the Council contracts with Akaku for services.
Thanks and please join us in keeping community-based public access alive and well.
Jay April
President and CEO
Akaku: Maui Community Television
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