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AGENDA
IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
CITY CABLE TV OFFICE, 10 S. LINN ST., TOWER PLACE PARKING FACILITY, LEVEL 3A
NOVEMBER 28, 2016, 5:30PM
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Announcements of Commissioners
4. Short public announcements
5. REPORTS
Consumer Issues
Mediacom Report
Local Access Reports
City Cable TV Office Report
6. Adjournment
DRAFT
MINUTES
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
October 24, 2016 – 5:30 P.M.
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, LEVEL 3A
Call to Order:Meeting called to order at 5:30 P.M.
Members Present:Nick Kilburg, Laura Bergus, Derek Johnk
Members Absent:Paul Gowder
Staff Present:Ty Coleman
Others Present:Gerardo Sandoval, Bond Drager
Recommendations to Council : NONE
Approval of Minutes:
Bergus moved and Kilburg seconded a motion to approve the September 26, 2016
minutes as presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
None
Short Public Announcements:
None
Consumer Issues:
Johnk noted that there were a number of issues presented in the September 2016
consumer issues report. Coleman highlighted one issue that was part of the previous
month’s report that was still in the process of being resolved.
Johnk said that the issue regarding build-out of Mediacom’s service seemed to be moving
along. Coleman said he recently received an estimated completion date of November 9th
for the area mentioned in the issue report, as well as for another area that would be
included in the October 2016 report. Bergus asked where the developments were located
in Iowa City. Coleman said that one is on Shire Lane, involving two newly-built
multi-family units, and the other is on Lexington Avenue, involving newly-built homes
that were located in the middle of an existing neighborhood. Coleman said that the issue
was reported to have been due to a Mediacom staffing issue that was being resolved.
Coleman noted that after receiving complaints about these two very similar issues within
a week, he felt it made sense to contact higher-level Mediacom representatives as part of
the complaint resolution process. Coleman said that while the local staff do a good job of
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providing information, in cases like these, they usually have limited details available.
Johnk mentioned the discussion from the previous Telecommunications Meeting
regarding the location and mapping of cable runs in Iowa City and asked if there was an
update on locating maps and determining whether there was confidential information to
be removed. Coleman said he had not yet been able to look into this but said once he
found the maps that were referenced in the discussion, he would check with staff to see
what limitations might exist with regards to their use.
Johnk asked about additional Internet service providers who might currently be building
out their own system. Johnk wondered if it would be possible to reach out to ImOn to see
what their plan is for residential build-out. Coleman said he would ask about this, though
noted that it was information the company may not be interested in sharing.
Mediacom Report not including litigation:
No report was provided.
Local Access Reports:
Gerardo Sandoval highlighted PATV’s success with a recent Bike-In Theatre involving
the Iowa City Bike Library and Little Village. Sandoval referred to these organizations
and others located in the same part of the city and noted that they were working together
to support each other’s events. Sandoval said this was a good way to bring in the public
and share with the community. Sandoval said that plans were in the works to collaborate
with FilmScene for future events to be held in the spring.
Sandoval also highlighted PATV’s work with a non-profit known as InterDance. The
group consists of members of other area dance organizations and holds community dance
events and other activities.
Johnk asked Sandoval if there were any limitations on where the Bike-In Theatre events
could take place. Sandoval said that they obtained a sound permit from the City since
they were amplifying the sound. He said that since the events occur within PATV’s
parking lot, as long as they have the proper permitting they are okay. Sandoval noted
that the City sound ordinance gives some restrictions as to how late the event can go.
Johnk suggested that if events were ever to be held outside of PATV’s property, it might
be helpful to coordinate with the City’s Parks Department with regards to licensing
required for showing films in public.
Sandoval commented that the Iowa City biking community is strong and that the event is
a good community event.
Bond Drager from the Iowa City Public Library noted that she had brought a hardcopy of
the Library’s report to the Commission. Drager also highlighted a special moment that
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occured at a recent program about African American History at the University of Iowa.
The program featured one panelist who, in 1956, had been the first African American
woman elected as Homecoming Queen at a state university. Drager commented that at
the event, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld had requested to make some
remarks and formerly apologized to the woman for the University’s treatment of her
during this time. Drager noted the woman had expressed in an interview prior to the
event that the University had never formally acknowledged her as the elected
homecoming queen and had treated her poorly. Drager commented on the value of
recording programs like these and stated that if the Library staff hadn’t been recording,
this moment may have been lost forever.
Sandoval added that the Bike-In Theatre event he discussed had been done in honor of
National Community Media Day.
City Cable TV Office Report:
Coleman said that the Cable TV Office would be working with the Johnson County
Coalition Against Domestic Violence to cover its annual Pat Meyer Vision Award
program. Coleman also said that staff was in the process of working with the Human
Rights Office to put together a short presentation about what the office offers, noting that
it would be useful in educating the public about situations in which one should consider
seeking help from the Human Rights staff.
Coleman highlighted that the Cable TV Office would be presenting a live stream of
election results on Channel 5 on election night, as provided by the Johnson County
Auditor’s Office.
Coleman said that the Cable TV Office would be including snow-related information in
upcoming programs as winter approaches. Details about rules and regulations, the City’s
snow ordinance, and clearing snow off of sidewalks would be covered.
Coleman noted the date of the next Telecommunications Meeting, Monday, November
28th, saying that it would not likely be impacted by the Thanksgiving holiday.
Coleman said he had asked Mediacom if there was any news to report to the Commission
and hadn’t yet received anything.
Johnk asked if there had been any progress in filling the vacant spot on the
Telecommunications Commission. Coleman said he hadn’t heard anything, but that the
City Clerk’s Office had posted the vacancy. Coleman said he would check with the
Clerk’s Office to see if there had been any recent activity related to this.
Adjournment:
Kilburg moved and Bergus seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed
unanimously. Adjournment was at 5:43 p.m.
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November 22, 2016
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints - October 2016
Ongoing Issues:
Late Payment Charges and Collections Fees
Date: Originated on 08/09/16
Update:
Payment has not yet been received from the customer.
Date of Resolution: Resolution will be confirmed once proper payment has been received from the customer.
New Issues:
1.)
Date: 10/04/16
Method of contact: Phone calls to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
MPSC took calls from a realtor, builder, and two residents of an area in the Melrose Neighborhood in Iowa City regarding
Mediacom’s lack of service extension to three newly-built homes. The builder expressed frustration that although multiple
attempts were made to work with Mediacom to get cables in the ground while other utilities were being buried, Mediacom did
not complete any work at the site. Residents complained that they had recently moved in and discovered that Internet service
was not available to them.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC presented the issue to Rick Karnes, who said that a new build project had been submitted, but that he would contact
the construction department to find out more information. MPSC also presented the situation, along with a similar issue that
occurred during September 2016 (detailed in the September 2016 Cable Complaints Report), to Mediacom’s Lee Grassley
and Tom Larsen. Mediacom staff investigated the issue and reported that there had been some problems with staff who had
failed to work with some developers in order to get build-out projects completed at the appropriate point within the construction
process. Mediacom’s Todd Robinson reported that the company was now undergoing staff restructuring in Iowa City and that
they were in the process of getting these projects identified and started.
Robinson later provided information about the timeframe for these projects, saying that they would be complete by the end of
2016, noting that as frost dates approach, contractors try to get everything the can into the ground before the ground freezes.
Karnes later provided an updated completion date of November 9th and further reports stated that the projects were
completed by this date.
One resident reported being told that service was not available, despite being told that infrastructure was in place. MPSC
followed up with Mediacom staff and confirmed that the residents could, in fact, get signed up for service and asked for
someone from the local office to contact the residents to get the process started. The resident later reported that he had an
appointment scheduled to begin receiving Internet service.
Date of Resolution:11/09/16
2.)
Date: 10/04/16
Method of contact: Online cable complaint form via the citychannel4.com website
Issue/Comment Summary:
The customer complained that her monthly service charges had risen beyond what it was supposed to according to the
two-year contract she had with Mediacom.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC forwarded the issue to Mediacom’s Betty Hartman. Hartman reported that she had been able to speak with the
customer and explain the increase. Hartman said the customer opted for a faster Internet speed at the time of installation.
Hartman said the customer now understood and was satisfied.
Date of Resolution: 10/18/16
3.)
Date: 10/8/16
Method of contact: Online cable complaint form via the citychannel4.com website
Issue/Comment Summary:
The resident complained of trouble with her CenturyLink DSL service over the past several months and said that calling
customer support did not help.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC forwarded the issue to CenturyLink’s David Kirkeby, who sent the issue to CenturyLink’s Chad Sanasack, who stated
he would be contacting the customer to handle the issue.
Date of Resolution: 10/11/16
4.)
Date: 10/21/16
Method of contact: Phone call to Communications Office
Issue/Comment Summary:
Customer reported that he was having difficulty receiving some of the local access channels.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC contacted the customer and was told that Mediacom had since come out to investigate the issue and found that the
wiring from the box to the house was old and was causing a weak signal. Mediacom staff laid a new line to resolve the issue.
Date of Resolution: 10/22/16
5.)
Date: 10/27/16
Method of contact: Email to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
The customer reported that his Mediacom Internet service had been out for three days.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC forwarded the issue to local Mediacom staff. Betty Hartman reported that she had reset the customer’s modem and left
him a message to schedule a service call if it was still needed. The customer was able to schedule a service call for
November 2, but later was told it would be moved up to October 28. The customer reported that no one came to his house on
October 28th. MPSC later asked the customer if Mediacom staff had come for the original date of November 2, but did not
receive a reply to the question. Mediacom staff stated that this customer previously had problems that were determined to be
related to a router and that the customer would likely need to replace it.
Date of Resolution: 11/02/16
CITY OF IOWA CITY
Cable Television Office
November 21, 2016
Mr. Lee Grassley
Senior Manager, Government Relations
Mediacom Communications Corporation
6300 Council St. NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Re: 2017 Funding for Public Access and Community Programming Services
Dear Lee:
This letter conveys the calculation for the 2017 payment to the City of Iowa City (the City) from Mediacom
Communications Corporation (MCC) for the support of public access services, as stated in Section XI (C) of
the municipal cable television franchise agreement between the City and MCC.
I have included a copy of page one of a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicating the CPI-U U.S.
City Average. The enclosed CPI-U is based on consumer price index activity for the entire month of
September 2016 and the calculated percent change since one-year prior. We agreed to continue to use the
CPI-U U.S. City Average and the September index in future years.
This year, the CPI-U U.S. City Average landed at 1.5%. Applying this figure, I calculate an increase of
$3,574.34 which, when added to the 2016 funding amount of $238,289.60, yields a figure of $241,863.94
for the 2017 payment.
This payment is due to the City by January 1 of each year. The City will provide funding to the public access
programming entity Public Access Television (PATV) as agreed upon within the contract between the City
and PATV.
The City also expects that Mediacom will continue to provide monthly “pass through” payments “for
equipment, facilities, and ongoing support for public, educational, governmental access, and community
access programming,” as described in Section XI (B) of the municipal franchise agreement, at the rate of
sixty (60) cents per subscriber per month.
Please review the figures above and let me know if you do not concur.
Sincerely,
Ty M. Coleman
Media Production Services Coordinator
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
cc: Geoff Fruin, City Manager
PATV, Inc.
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 Ph: 319.356.5454 ty-coleman@iowa-city.org
CONSUMER PRICE MOVEMENTS
SEPTEMBER 2016
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in September on a seasonally adjusted basis,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 1.5 percent before seasonal
adjustment.
Increases in the shelter and gasoline indexes were the main causes of the rise in the all items index. The gasoline index rose 5.8
percent in September and accounted for more than half of the all items increase. The shelter index increased 0.4 percent, its largest
increase since May.
The energy index increased 2.9 percent, its largest advance since April. Along with the gasoline index, other energy component
indexes also rose. The index for food, in contrast, was unchanged for the third consecutive month, as the food at home index continued
to decline.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in September after a 0.3-percent increase in August. Along with the
shelter index, the indexes for medical care, motor vehicle insurance, and personal care all increased in September, as did the indexes for
education, alcoholic beverages, airline fares, and tobacco. The indexes for communication, apparel, used cars and trucks, recreation, and
new vehicles all declined.
The all items index rose 1.5 percent for the 12 months ending September, its largest 12-month increase since October 2014. The
index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent for the 12 months ending September. The food index declined 0.3 percent over
the span, and the energy index fell 2.9 percent.
Food
The food index was unchanged in September, as it was in July and August. The index for food away from home increased 0.2
percent, but the food at home index declined for the fifth consecutive month, falling 0.1 percent. Major grocery store food group indexes
were mixed, with three declines and three increases. The index for nonalcoholic beverages fell 0.4 percent in September, its fourth
decline in the last 5 months. The fruits and vegetables index, which was unchanged in August, fell 0.3 percent in September. The index
for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs continued to fall, declining 0.2 percent, with the beef index falling 0.5 percent.
In contrast, the indexes for cereals and bakery products, dairy and related products, and other food at home all rose slightly in
September, each increasing 0.1 percent. Over the last 12 months, the food at home index has declined 2.2 percent, the largest 12-month
Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average
Seasonally adjusted changes from preceding month Un-
adjusted
12-mos.
ended
Sep. 2016
Mar.
2016
Apr.
2016
May
2016
June
2016
July
2016
Aug.
2016
Sep.
2016
All items ................................................. .1 .4 .2 .2 .0 .2 .3 1.5
Food .................................................... -.2 .2 -.2 -.1 .0 .0 .0 -.3
Food at home .................................... -.5 .1 -.5 -.3 -.2 -.2 -.1 -2.2
Food away from home 1 .................... .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 2.4
Energy ................................................. .9 3.4 1.2 1.3 -1.6 .0 2.9 -2.9
Energy commodities .......................... 1.9 7.8 2.4 3.3 -4.4 -.9 5.5 -6.4
Gasoline (all types) .......................... 2.2 8.1 2.3 3.3 -4.7 -.9 5.8 -6.5
Fuel oil 1 .......................................... 1.7 1.9 6.2 3.3 -1.3 -2.5 2.4 -8.5
Energy services ................................. .2 -.1 .2 -.5 1.0 .8 .7 .7
Electricity ......................................... .4 -.3 -.2 -.5 .5 .5 .7 .1
Utility (piped) gas service ................ -.7 .6 1.7 -.4 3.1 2.1 .8 2.9
All items less food and energy ............ .1 .2 .2 .2 .1 .3 .1 2.2
Commodities less food and energy
commodities ................................ -.2 -.1 -.2 -.3 -.1 .1 -.1 -.6
New vehicles ................................... .0 -.3 -.1 -.2 .2 .0 -.1 .0
Used cars and trucks ....................... -.1 -.3 -1.3 -1.1 -1.0 -.6 -.3 -4.1
Apparel ............................................ -1.1 -.3 .8 -.4 .0 .2 -.7 -.1
Medical care commodities ............... .3 .5 -.4 .8 .5 1.4 .6 5.2
Services less energy services ........... .2 .3 .3 .3 .2 .3 .2 3.2
Shelter ............................................. .2 .3 .4 .3 .2 .3 .4 3.4
Transportation services ................... .2 .7 .3 .3 -.2 .1 .0 3.0
Medical care services ...................... .1 .3 .5 .2 .5 1.0 .0 4.8
1 Not seasonally adjusted.
1 CPI Detailed Report-September 2016
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Nov. 2016
We have been active this month via social media with our outreach efforts as a way of marketing
ourselves to the community and it has worked well. Our Guidelines class has had a good flow of
participant who've become members. We are also testing an online version of the Guidelines
Orientation to further reach those who are not able to attend our regularly scheduled workshop.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors next meeting Dec. 15th at 6 pm.
Intro Workshop
Guidelines orientation is the first Thursday of every month, 6 pm at PATV.
Next Guidelines is Thursday, Dec. 1st at 6 PM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Thursday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
We Are Iowa City
Education Exchange
The Joseph Dobrian Show
Hello it’s us
GreenFire
The LyleStyle Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
Time for truth
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 11/16/16
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
Date: November 21, 2016
To: The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator, City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
Re: City of Iowa City Cable TV Office report for the November 2016 meeting
Media Production Services
Recent production activities:
●Recorded the Johnson County Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Pat Meyer Vision
Award Ceremony, where an individual and an organization or business are recognized for
their commitment to ending domestic violence.
●Covered a community panel discussion, hosted by Mission Iowa City, on the culture of
contemporary sexism.
●Recorded the annual Human Rights Awards Breakfast, which features awards presented to
individuals, businesses, or organizations whose ongoing work, service, or contributions
have positively impacted Human Rights either locally or abroad.
●Shot and produced 5 Iowa City Updates. Topics included the Iowa River Trail Clean-up,
early voting, meeting the police chief finalists, the Energy Efficiency Program, and Small
Business Saturday.
●Created a November edition of Iowa City In Focus that explained four changes to City code
that will expand recycling. Other topics included a historic home that is being considered for
the National Register of Historic Places, a one-on-one interview with international city
planner Jeff Speck about creating a walkable city, and Project Holiday, a campaign to
provide holiday meals to the less fortunate.
●Completed 3 Community Highlight videos, which recapped the Halloween Parade &
Carnival, Tot Monster Mash, and Volunteer Service Day.
●Put together a promotional video on the 2016 Holiday Thieves’ Market for the University of
Iowa Fine Arts Council.
●Covered the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Toast to Our Communities
event, which recognizes leaders and businesses making significant contributions to the
Iowa City area business community.
Upcoming productions:
●Continue producing weekly Iowa City Update program on varying projects and events
happening in Iowa City.
●Complete a December edition of Iowa City In Focus, which will include an outline of the final
stages of the First Avenue Grade Separation Project and will review the parking guidelines
for a Snow Emergency.
●Community Highlight projects in December will include the Holiday Tuba Concert, Thieves’
Market, and Winter Solstice Program.
●The Englert Theatre’s Festival of Carols concert.
●A public forum for the Iowa City Police Department (ICPD) where the public is invited to
provide comments on the department as part of the ICPD’s 5th accreditation process.
●Preucil School of Music’s annual multiple piano festival, featuring Preucil students who play
compositions played on up to five pianos at one time.
Programming and Interactive Services
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
The InfoVision Voice program continues to be refined and has increased in its response time and
stability. The InfoVision system has been moved it off of our legacy hardware and we're able to run
it from the City's network. Our Meet The Candidates efforts were minimal this year, with no real
contested local elections, but we did replay a debate between Dave Loebsack and Christopher
Peters, and covered a League of Women Voters forum on the Iowa City referendum to lower the
number of petition signatures to require Council action. More videos from our archive have been
uploaded to YouTube, as we're now pushing YouTube as our recommended player.
Website:
In October, we had 3,462 users access 7,127 pages in 5,794 sessions. Our most popular pages
were Mediacom's channel lineup, our homepage, our video page, our program schedule, our Meet
The Candidates pages, Mediacom's cable rates, and our access channels program schedules,
which are embedded on the Press-Citizen.
Our streaming media provider reports 14,052 total hits, which includes 5,900 Events (player window
was loaded), 624 Sessions (media was played), and 8,152 OnDemand Hits (media was scrubbed or
index point was clicked). 1,212 podcasts were downloaded, and our HQ media was accessed 271
times. Our live stream was accessed 440 times. Meanwhile on YouTube, we had 6,643 views for
14,504 minutes of viewing time. Our top videos there were: an Obermann Conversations program
with Taylor Mac, the last two University Heights City Council meetings, our In Focus program from
October, "The Future of Islam in America,” and the Iowa City City Council meeting of October 18.
Programming:
We cablecast 141 programs produced in-house
879 times for 544 hours of programming, 42
locally-produced (DITV, Senior Center, Hoover
Library, JC Board of Supervisors, Coralville, North
Liberty and University Heights) programs 119
times for 132 hours of programming, and 25
imported programs 76 times for 33 hours of
programming. We also showed 100 PSAs 1100
times for 25 hours of programming.
Below, you will find a complete list of programs completed in October 2016 by the Cable TV Office.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in October 2016
●Iowa City Update
○Iowa River Trail Clean-up
○Early Voting Options
○Meet the Police Chief Candidates
○Energy Efficiency Program
○Small Business Saturday
●Iowa City In Focus
○October 2016 - Affordable Housing, Leaf Vacuum Program, Halloween Activities, Author
Ashton Applewhite
○November 2016 - Expanding Recycling in Iowa City, Historic Home Up For National
Register, Creating a Walkable City, and Project Holiday
●Community Highlights
○Iowa City Dog Paddle
○Jingle Cross 2016
○Northside Oktoberfest 2016
○Iowa City Halloween Parade and Carnival
○Tot Monster Mash
●33rd Annual Human Rights Awards Breakfast
●Affordable Housing and Inclusive Zoning: What has worked elsewhere and what will work here?
●Applying for City Employment
●Arc of Southeast Iowa 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony
●Building and Crossing Bridges Together - Introduction
●Economic Development Committee Meeting of 10/12/16
●Fire Prevention Week Program 2016
●Iowa City Book Festival 2016 - Panel 1 - Sense of Place
●Iowa City Book Festival 2016 - Panel 2 - Pics or it Didn't Happen
●Iowa City City Council Meetings
○10/04/16
○10/18/16
●Iowa City City Council Work Sessions
○10/04/16
○10/18/16
●Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
○German Iowa & the Global Midwest: How to Do Global History Locally
○U.S. - Kosovo Relations
○Sister Wives: Female Comrades in South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Struggles
○Global Health and Sustainable Development
●Jihad, Suicide, and Sacrifice in Islam: Husayn as an Example
●Sexism in America: Politics and Beyond
●Systems Unlimited Strides for Rides 5K Run and Fun Walk 2016 PSA
●Toward a More Walkable Iowa City - Presented by Jeff Speck
●Iowa City Group of the Sierra Club presents… Wild Utah: America’s Red Rock Wilderness