11/4/2019
I’m just back from the ACM North East Conference which took place last week in Portland ME. It was a great event in all sorts of ways – presentations from vendors, a keynote from Maine artist Robert Shetterly about his portraits of freedom (American
10/28/2019
The Alliance for Community Media joined with municipalities, cable commissions and other groups to file an appeal of the FCC’s so-called “in-kind” order on cable franchising this last week in DC District Court. We expect that other cities and count
10/21/2019
The Central States Conference and Philo Awards just wrapped up this past week at WKTV Community Media in Wyoming Michigan. The star of the event was WKTV itself.
I’ve been to neighboring GRCMC in Grand Rapids but have never tak
11/4/2019
Our colleagues at NATOA along with the National League of Cities, US Conference of Mayors, and several other municipal associations filed a motion with the FCC to stay its cable franchising order this last week
10/21/2019
ACM has filed an amicus brief in court supporting the State of Maine as it fights the national cable industry to ensure that PEG channels are not subject to discrimination by cable providers.
9/23/2019
I’m passing on a couple of interesting stories about organizational change in community media – and wonder if similar stories lie ahead.
9/17/2019
Does the First Amendment give cable companies the right to degrade signals from community PEG channels to make them unwatchable? Or to eliminate or rewrite program information about the channels themselves? We don’t think so.
9/10/2019
Now’s the time to start looking ahead to next summer’s ACM Conference in Chicago, IL, June 29-July 2. Do you have an idea for a workshop you’d like to see? Want to hear from an inspiring speaker? Have a technology you’d like to evaluate or a vendor y
9/3/2019
Weekly messages from ACM President, Mike Wassenaar, will return next week.
8/5/2019
The FCC passed its Third Report and Order on Cable Franchising on Thursday – and while the results of the 3-2 vote were not surprising, the statements coming from the majority members of the Commission were at times alarming, arrogant and disingenuou
7/29/2019
Late last week Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) issued a letter opposing the FCC’s proposed rules on cable franchising because of the costs that will shift to local governments that rely on Institutional Networks.
7/22/2019
This Thursday 7/25 is the deadline for ex parte comments and letters to the FCC about the proposed rules on cable franchising that we expect will be voted on August 1. That means we just have a few days for members of Congress to express their conce
7/16/2019
I’m just getting back from a very fulfilling and exciting week at the ACM National Conference in Portland, OR.
One of the highlights for me was the conversation with Jesse Hardman of Listening Post Collective, Andrea Faye Hart of City Bureau and
7/9/2019
We’re already beginning the action at the ACM National Conference with the Emerging Leaders Institute kicking off this morning.
7/1/2019
We're a week away from the ACM National Conference in Portland, OR. Here's a couple quick notes as we count down the days to #ACMPDX:
6/24/2019
There is a strong possibility that the FCC will issue an order in the cable franchise rule-making at its August 1, 2019 meeting. We will know the agenda of the meeting sometime during the second week of July, and if the item will be heard at that me
6/17/2019
The US Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh ruled Monday morning that a private operator of a public access channel was not a state actor for the purposes of First Amendment restraint on speech, and remanded the case to Dist
6/10/2019
In case you missed it, Free Press President & CEO Craig Aaron gave a stirring defense of community media and called out the FCC's action in the FNPRM of cable franchising at last week's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the state of the video mark
6/4/2019
Some good news from Maine this past week: LD 1371, an anti-discrimination bill that protects PEG Access channels has passed out of the Legislature with overwhelming support and now awaits approval by the state's governor. The bill has been champione
5/20/2019
One of the great benefits of gathering with colleagues at the ACM National Conference is the informal learning that takes place. This year in Portland, we'll continue the process with our Birds of A Feather sessions.
5/13/2019
Congratulations are due to the winners of the ACM Foundation's scholarship to the Emerging Leadership Institute taking place at this year's ACM National Conference in Portland, OR. The Foundation will be supporting travel costs and education costs fo
5/6/2019
Is your station involved in an outreach project for the 2020 Census? Or are you partnering with local and state government to get information about the Census out to the communities you serve?
4/30/2019
I hope you're beginning to plan your time at the ACM National Conference in Portland OR (#ACMPDX) - Early Bird Registration for the conference is open now. There are a few things you should know about this year's Conference.
4/22/2019
Another week, another letter from Congress to the FCC about their not-so-kind "in-kind" rule making.
4/15/2019
Kudos to Erich Archer of 1623 Studios in Cape Ann, MA for producing a great video asking Congress to stop the FCC's FNPRM on so-called "in-kind" services. Erich produced the video to share with communities across the country, so please use it on you