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A Pitiful Offer On Public Access Cable

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2008

Three months ago, Hillsborough County slashed its funding to the Tampa Bay Community Network, which runs the local public access cable channel, by more than $355,000. Since then the network has been struggling to figure out how to serve county residents.

Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean's latest offer to the channel has been far from helpful. Bean told the network it would get to keep a video truck worth about $55,000 the county purchased for it as compensation for services to county residents.

In essence, the county is demanding the network do the same work it did last year for the paltry value of the truck. In taking this untenable stance, Bean is making clear the county isn't interested in public access.

The network has proposed charging those who live in unincorporated Hillsborough a fee to use its studios or take video production classes. The dispute doesn't affect Tampa residents because the city has continued to provide the network with a $540,000 subsidy.

Bean has rejected the notion of fees for county residents, telling the network instead to use the truck to serve them.

Her ham-handed response makes her pledge to find a way to make public access work for county residents seem insincere.

For a long time,the commission has appeared to want to shut down the network where average citizens get a chance to broadcast their views. Sometimes they're silly and sometimes they're crude, but the citizens often add to public debate on important issues.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that county commissioners come in for their share of criticism.

The county has bungled this from the beginning. It should have struck a balance between the need to trim some public access funding while acknowledging the channel, for all its craziness, offers an important forum for the community to share ideas and information.

If Hillsborough County believes in giving the public true access, it will come up with a better offer.

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