HomeMy WebLinkAboutICTC Agenda and Packet 2019-06-24
Agenda
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St., Tower Place Parking Facility, Level 3A
Monday, June 24, 2019, 5:30PM
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Announcements of Commissioners
4. Short public announcements
5. Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission
6. REPORTS
Consumer Issues
Mediacom Report
Local Access Reports
City Cable TV Office Report
7. Adjournment
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Ty
Coleman at 319-356-5454 or ty-coleman@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow
sufficient time to meet your access needs.
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Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
04/22/2019 Meeting Minutes
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Minutes
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
April 22, 2019 – 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 5:34 P.M.
Members Present:Matthew Brenton, Gina Reyes, Adam Stockman
Members Absent:James Pierce
Staff Present:Ty Coleman
Others Present:
Recommendations to Council: None
Approval of Minutes:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the March 25, 2019 minutes as
presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
Commission members exchanged introductions with newly-appointed member Gina Reyes.
Short Public Announcements:
None.
Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission:
Brenton summarized that due to the expiration of the local cable TV franchise agreement last
year, the Commission was reconsidering its role moving forward. Brenton said that a draft
document was being developed that would propose to the City Council that it formally consider
the feasibility of municipal broadband. He said the group had concluded that if Council did not
have interest in looking into the topic, that the group would not serve a purpose.
Brenton said there had been other groups that had gone through a similar process, such as the
Climate Action Committee. He said members of the Commission seem to agree that ensuring
access and affordability of broadband Internet service is important and that investigating
municipal broadband by way of a committee could be the best way to act on that mission.
Reyes expressed agreement with the direction of the proposal.
Brenton said that since the Commission began having discussions about its future role, ImOn
has indicated its intention to expand its Internet service into the neighborhoods of Iowa City.
Brenton said that a draft of the proposal would be available for discussion at the next meeting.
Mediacom’s Connect2Compete program:
Brenton said he had researched the program and found that Connect2Compete is not a
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Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
04/22/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 2 of 4
Mediacom-specific program, but rather is operated by a non-profit called Everyone On. He said
information can be found at www.callforaction.org/Connect2Compete. Brenton discovered that
all of the terms found in Mediacom’s promotion of the program are the same as those found in
the non-profit’s nationwide program. Brenton said he felt it was unlikely that the Commission
would be able to influence a change in the terms.
Stockman agreed that it no longer makes sense to discuss the topic. He noted that he had
thought it was strange to have a requirement that an applicant to the program not already be a
Mediacom customer, but that now knowing it is a national program provides more clarity. He
said the requirement would likely make the program more appealing to Internet providers, given
that the program would not reduce a company’s full-price customer base by offering lower-cost
service to some of its existing customers. Stockman agreed that it would be likely the City
would have little influence over a national program, as opposed to a local one. Brenton
proposed that the group drop the topic from consideration. Stockman and Reyes agreed.
Consumer Issues:
Brenton asked Coleman if there had been any further communication with the customer in the
March 2019 complaint report who had complained of having to wait several days for an
appointment to investigate his Internet service outage. Coleman said he still had not received a
response after having provided the customer with information and an offer to connect with
Mediacom. Coleman said it wasn’t uncommon for a customer to encounter an issue and for
them to contact his office in a moment of frustration, but not respond after he has reached out to
assist them.
Reyes asked if residents would know to contact the City’s Cable TV Office if they had DSL
service with CenturyLink rather than cable Internet through Mediacom. Coleman said he does
receive some complaints from CenturyLink customers. Brenton asked if Cable TV Office
contact information was still printed on Mediacom bills. Coleman said the City had recently
asked Mediacom to remove the City’s information from bills since the City was no longer the
franchising authority.
Brenton noted that the City’s Cable TV Office has been able to assist residents, in many cases,
by simply getting them connected someone local, who can understand the issues more clearly.
Coleman said that many complaints seem to result from customers having spoken only with
someone from a call center.
Coleman referred to an issue in the February 2019 complaint report and said that he was
notified by local Mediacom staff that cable service was now available to the residents at Cross
Park Place.
Mediacom Report:
Coleman said he hadn’t received anything from Mediacom over the last month.
Local Access Reports:
Brenton asked if Public Access Television (PATV) would continue to send a representative to
the meetings of the Commission, noting that the Library had recently decided it would no longer
have someone attend. Coleman said a PATV report had been submitted and was included in
the meeting packet. He said if the City Council agrees that the group should focus on looking
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Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
04/22/2019 Meeting Minutes
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into the feasibility of municipal broadband, it may not make sense for the access channels to
have a representative present.
City Cable TV Office Report:
Coleman referred to the report the Cable TV Office had submitted in the meeting packet. He
noted that the Cable TV Office had recently acquired some new camera equipment that will help
to improve the quality of long-format productions and require fewer resources. Coleman said
that two of his staff are now certified to fly the City Cable TV Office’s aerial imaging drone, which
will be used for acquiring video and pictures to be used in video projects as well as to meet the
needs of City departments. He said the Parks and Recreation Department had recently
requested aerial images of the newly-developed Riverfront Crossings Park.
Adjournment:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment was at 5:58 p.m.
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Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
04/22/2019 Meeting Minutes
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
12-MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD
Gowder Bergus Brenton Johnk Pierce
05/21/2018 x o/c x x x
06/25/2018 x x x o/c x
07/23/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant vacant
08/27/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant vacant
9/24/2018 x vacant x vacant x
Paterson
10/22/2018 x o x vacant x
11/26/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant
12/17/2018 x o x vacant x
01/22/2019
Meeting not held due
to inclement weather
and lack of quorum.
vacant
resignation Stockman
02/25/2019 x vacant x x o/c
Reyes
03/25/2019 resignation o/c x x x
04/22/2019 vacant x x x o/c
(x) = Present
(o) = Absent
(o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)
documents to consider for your discussion on the proposed future role of
the Telecommunications Commission
Good afternoon,
I have attached a few documents that are pertinent to the upcoming discussion of the Commission's proposal to the City Council
regarding the role the group should play in the future.
One document is the drafted proposal itself, presented to me by Matt Brenton and James Pierce. Another is a copy of the
Climate Action Advisory Board proposal, which Matt said was used as a template for the draft he and James have created. The
third document is a copy of the section of Iowa Code pertaining to municipal broadband, "Iowa Code 2019, Section 388.10." This
section of the code can also be found at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/388.10.pdf.
Finally, Matt asked if I would pass on a link to an article he found on the BroadbandNow
website: https://broadbandnow.com/report/municipalbroadbandroadblocks/#iowa.
Please review these items before the June 4, 2019 meeting. They will also be included within the meeting packet that will be
distributed within the next day or so. If you have any questions, please feel free to reply directly to me. In order to avoid violation
of open meetings laws, it is advised that you do not "reply all."
Thank you,
Ty
Ty Coleman
Media Production Services Coordinator
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
(319) 3565454
www.icgov.org
Ty Coleman
Wed 5/29/2019 3:15 PM
To:cyclecast@gmail.com <cyclecast@gmail.com>; iowaadamstockman@gmail.com <iowaadamstockman@gmail.com>; Matthew Brenton
<matthew.p.brenton@gmail.com>; James Pierce <jimmypierce1@gmail.com>;
3 attachments ﴾171 KB﴿
ICTC Municipal Broadband Proposal.pdf; Iowa City Climate Action Advisory Board proposal.pdf ; Municipal Telecommunications Utilities ‐ Iowa
Code 2019.pdf;
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
Municipal Broadband Advisory Board Proposal to Iowa City City Council
The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission was originally formed to advise, review, and resolve
issues involving cable providers operating under the Iowa City franchise. Iowa City’s municipal franchise
agreement with Mediacom expired on August 1, 2018. At this time the commission was tasked with
identifying future duties and responsibilities. This proposal is the result of that discussion.
The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission proposes that the Iowa City City Council form an
advisory board to explore creating a municipal broadband network to serve Iowa City.
The board shall be established as follows:
• The mission of the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board is to assist the City with determining
whether a municipal broadband deployment in Iowa City is in the best interest of the
community. This includes, but is not limited to:
o Identifying the pros and cons of a municipal broadband deployment.
o Outlining requirements for municipal broadband.
o Financing recommendations and cost estimation.
o Achieving diverse stakeholder representation and viewpoints.
• The board shall be established for one year.
• The board shall consist of ten (10) members appointed by City Council. Board members shall be
chosen based on specialty and expertise. Relevant experience includes, but is not limited to:
o Information technology, especially networking
o Government agencies, especially municipal
o Regulated utilities
o Non-profit organizations
o Institutions, including but not limited to the Iowa City Community School District and
the University of Iowa
o Small and large businesses
o Professional services, for example: accountants, contractors, bankers, lawyers
o Students
• Board members duties include, but are not limited to:
o Gather and present information about existing municipal broadband deployments.
o Work with city officials to identify municipal infrastructure that can be utilized for
broadband, estimate cost, and address other feasibility concerns.
o Provide a recommendation to City Council and assist in drafting RFP (if requested).
• Board leadership shall consist of the following:
o Chair
o Secretary
The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission has determined that since there is no city franchise
agreement it no longer has a purpose. Upon submission of this proposal to Iowa City City Council the
Telecommunications Commission will disband until such point that another city franchise is established.
1
Iowa City Climate Action Advisory Board
Proposal to Iowa City City Council
Over the past year, the Iowa City Climate Action Committee assisted the City and its consultants
with development of Iowa City’s Climate Action Plan. The Committee’s term will end when the
Plan is adopted. Based on the actions outlined in the plan and the scope of work required to
implement such actions, the Committee proposes the establishment of a self-appointed, self-
organizing Climate Action Advisory Board to assist with implementation of the Climate Plan
actions. The board shall be established as follows:
• The mission of the Advisory Board is to assist the City with implementation of the
Climate Action Plan actions to achieve or exceed the emissions reduction goals set by the
City Council. This includes, but is not limited to:
o Prioritization of actions
o Action implementation planning
o Financing recommendations and development
o Achieving diverse stakeholder representation and viewpoints
o Partner with area governments to develop comprehensive community approach to
plan actions, where applicable.
• The Board shall be established for one year to develop implementation plans and
determine the most efficient scope and design of the board to facilitate implementation.
• Board members shall be chosen based on specialty and expertise. There shall also be two
(2) at-large community member positions.
• The Board shall consist of fifteen (15) members, initially consisting of members of the
Climate Action Committee that wish to serve on the Advisory Board. Any remaining
positions shall be filled by the Advisory Board members, based on identified expertise
not currently represented on the Board. Relevant areas of Board representation may
include, but are not limited to:
o Students
o Small and large businesses
o Government agencies
o Institutions, including but not limited to the Iowa City Community School District
and the University of Iowa
o Regulated utilities
o Non-profit organizations
o Professional Services, for example: architects, contractors, bankers/economists,
lawyers.
• The Board shall be a working board. Board members duties include, but are not limited
to:
o Advise City staff regarding implementation planning and decision-making
o Assist City staff with outreach and coordination
§ Developing working groups for specific action implementation
2
§ Leveraging existing community relationships and building new
community relationships
§ Communicating action plans and progress with the Iowa City community
and surrounding communities
o Assist city staff with documentation and data collection
o Provide recommendations to City staff and City Council, including but not limited
to budget and staffing recommendations for action implementation.
• Board member requirements include, but are not limited to:
o Attend at least 75% of Board meetings, which shall occur once per month
o Serve on and/or lead at least one working group
o Participate in community outreach, including attending two (2) community events
per year
o Assist with fundraising.
• Board leadership shall consist of the following:
o Two (2) co-chairs
o Secretary
o Recorder
o Communications.
1 CITY UTILITIES,§388.10
388.10 Municipal utility providing telecommunications services.
1.a.A city that owns or operates a municipal utility providing telecommunications
services or such a municipal utility shall not do,directly or indirectly,any of the following:
(1)Use general fund moneys for the ongoing support or subsidy of a telecommunications
system.
(2)Provide any city facilities,equipment,or services to provide telecommunications
systems or services at a cost for such facilities,equipment,or services which is less than the
reasonable cost of providing such city facilities,equipment,or services.
(3)Provide any other city service,other than a communications service,to a
telecommunications customer at a cost which is less than would be paid by the same person
receiving such other city service if the person was not a telecommunications customer.
(4)Use funds or revenue generated from electric,gas,water,sewage,or garbage services
provided by the city for the ongoing support of any city telecommunications system.
b.For purposes of this section:
(1)“Telecommunications system”means a system that provides telecommunications
services.
(2)“Telecommunications services”means the retail provision of any of the following
services:
(a)Local exchange telephone services.
(b)Long distance telephone services.
(c)Internet access services.
(d)Cable television services.
2.A city that owns or operates a municipal utility providing telecommunications services
or such a municipal utility shall do the following:
a.Prepare and maintain records which record the full cost accounting of providing
telecommunications services.The records shall show the amount and source of capital for
initial construction or acquisition of the telecommunications system or facilities.The records
shall be public records subject to the requirements of chapter 22.Information in the records
that is not subject to examination or copying as provided in section 388.9,subsection 2,may
be expunged from the records prior to public disclosure.This section shall not prohibit a
municipal utility from utilizing capital from any lawful source,provided that the reasonable
cost of such capital is accounted for as a cost of providing the service.In accounting for
the cost of use of any city employees,facilities,equipment,or services,a city or municipal
utility may make a reasonable allocation of the cost of use of any city employees,facilities,
equipment,or services used by the municipal utility based upon reasonable criteria for
the distribution of the cost of use in any manner which is not inconsistent with generally
accepted accounting principles.
b.Adopt rates for the provision of telecommunications services that reflect the actual cost
of providing the telecommunications services.However,this paragraph shall not prohibit the
municipal utility from establishing market-based prices for competitive telecommunications
services.
c.Be subject to all requirements of the city which would apply to any other provider of
telecommunications services in the same manner as such requirements would apply to such
other provider.For purposes of cable television services,a city that is in compliance with
section 364.3,subsection 7,shall be considered in compliance with this paragraph.
d.Make an annual certification of compliance with this section.For any year in which the
city or municipal utility is not audited in accordance with section 11.6,the city or municipal
utility shall contract with or employ the auditor of state or a certified public accountant
certified in the state of Iowa to attest to the certification.The attestation report shall be a
public record for purposes of chapter 22.
3.This section shall not prohibit the marketing or bundling of other products or services,
in addition to telecommunications services.However,a city shall include on a billing
statement sent to a person receiving services from the city,a separate charge for each service
provided to the person.This subsection does not prohibit the city from also including on the
billing statement a total amount to be paid by the person.
Sat Dec 08 19:18:47 2018 Iowa Code 2019,Section 388.10 (12,1)
§388.10,CITY UTILITIES 2
4.This section shall not apply to telecommunications services provided directly by a
municipal airport.
99 Acts,ch 63,§4,8;2004 Acts,ch 1022,§2,3;2004 Acts,ch 1048,§2
Referred to in §11.6,477A.1,477A.7
Sat Dec 08 19:18:47 2018 Iowa Code 2019,Section 388.10 (12,1)
May 28, 2019
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints April 2019
1.)
Date: 04/15/19
Method of contact:
Voicemail to City Manager’s Office
Complaint/Comment Summary:
Customer complained that she had been having difficulty getting CenturyLink to bury a line in her
yard that had been there since December 2018. She said she had been told recently that the burial
was scheduled “way out,” but that she was concerned due to mowing season approaching.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC inquired about the burial with CenturyLink’s Tab Byrd. Chad Sanasack from CenturyLink
confirmed that there was a work order in progress for the burial and that the contractor had received
it. Kelly Green from MP Nexlevel, the contractor, said he had escalated the project with his crew.
The customer later reported the cable had been buried, but that her service wasn’t working after it
had been completed. She said she had an appointment set up for someone to come out the next day
to investigate.
Date of Resolution: 05/08/19
2.)
Date: 04/15/19
Method of contact:
Phone call to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
Mediacom customer complained that there were cables hanging over her driveway, attached to a tree
to keep them off the ground, as well as on her lawn.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC inquired with Mediacom’s Rick Karnes. Karnes checked on the status of the burial with the
construction contractor, who said that it should be complete in less than a month. Karnes said now
that winter is over and the frost is gone, there is a long list of underground jobs to catch up on.
Karnes said that this project involves a bore to get under the driveway, so it is not a simple burial.
MPSC followed up with the customer, who said she had been told that a conduit was already in place
and that a replacement cable just needed to be pulled through it. MPSC asked Karnes about this and
said he would have the construction department contact her directly to clear up any confusion.
Karnes later reported that the project has been delayed by the rainy season and would check with the
construction department to see if there was an estimated date for completion.
Date of Resolution: not yet resolved
June 20, 2019
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints May 2019
1.)
Date: 05/19/19
Method of contact:
Email to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
Owner of a business complained that he had been charged for 1Gig Mediacom Business Internet
service, despite later being told that 1Gig services were not currently available in Riverside, where the
service is needed. The customer had been receiving 300Mbps service and had been experiencing
some disconnections and slowness.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC forwarded the issue to Mediacom’s Betty Hartman for more information. Hartman reported
that the issue is being handled by the Mediacom Business Department. Mediacom had been issuing
some credits to the customer, but he felt he was entitled to a greater credit for the time he paid for the
higher-speed service.
As of June 20, 2019, the customer said he has not been successful in getting the technical issues
resolved, saying that Mediacom has acknowledged that there is an issue, but that he would be billed
a $25 service call fee to have someone out to investigate. MPSC has reached out to Mediacom’s
Lee Grassley to learn more about the situation.
Date of Resolution: not yet resolved
2.)
Update on unresolved issue presented in the Cable Complaints April 2019 report:
Issue/Comment Summary:
The customer had complained in April of a cable that was laid over her lawn and strung up and over
her driveway and had been there for too long.
Resolution Summary:
Mediacom’s Rick Karnes reported that the cable has now been buried.
Date of Resolution: 06/11/19
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission May 2019
This month we have seen a growing interest in Podcasting, interview style shows and filmmaking,
from a fashion style vintage show with the crew from “VICE” to a local talkshow that features various
community members on LKR to a live talkshow on employment development/training & diversity
inclusion on TopRanks “Breaking Barriers”.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors meeting June 18th., at 7 pm.
Intro Workshop
All workshops - times, dates and sign-up are on our website under workshops - http://patv.tv/
workshops/. The next Orientation Classe held on Saturday June 22nd @ 11 am.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Wednesday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Tuesday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Education Exchange
Joe’s Gaming Shack
GreenFire
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Latino Hour
Right on Tyme
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 6/2/19
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
Date: May 22, 2019
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 May 2019 meeting, rescheduled for June 4, 2019
Media Production Services
Submitted by Jack Brooks, Special Projects Assistant, and Toni Ugolini, Media Production Assistant
Recent production activities:
●Topics covered for episodes of the weekly Iowa City Update program have included Drug Take Back
Day, Iowa City Farmers Market, Ped Mall Improvements Project, and Fine Free for Kids at the ICPL.
●Completed a Bike Shorts PSA on the benefits of balance bikes for kids.
●Our next Iowa City In Focus program that features the Humanize My Hoodie movement, Strengthen
Grow Evolve campaign, and rules for the dog parks.
●Recorded and Facebook Live streamed The Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Education Event.
●Produced and released the most current episode of our ‘Iowa City Matters’ podcast. This episode
focused on public transit.
●Recorded the Annual Community Police Review Board Community Forum.
●Recorded the first concert of the Friday Night Concert Series, which featured West and City High Jazz
Ensembles. We also conducted a short Facebook Live before the concert to help Summer of the Arts
to promote the concert and upcoming events. Pre-show Facebook Live events will be produced
throughout the summer.
●Recorded the first forum from Johnson County Livable Community’s six-month summer forum series,
Aging in Place.
●Recorded the Annual Youth Human Rights Awards.
●Recorded a presentation on the Public Art Strategic Plan, given at a public input meeting.
Upcoming productions:
●Continue creating weekly Iowa City Update programs with topics including the Party in the Park,
Summer Bookmobile hours, and other summer activities.
●Working on a PSA about the treatment of Emerald Ash Borer.
●Recording an Economic Development Committee meeting.
●Recording and producing content from the 2019 MusicIC events.
●Creating new park virtual tour videos using footage from our drone.
●Continue recording the Friday Night Concert Series and provide Facebook Live Stream interviews with
performers prior to the concerts.
●Short videos capturing some of the Party in the Park events held at neighborhood parks this summer.
Programming and Interactive Services
Submitted by Kevin Crawley, Communications Technician
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
We have picked up another program from PATV. This one is called "Hello, It's Us! - Perspectives on
Inclusion," and and it deals with local disability issues. It does not have a fixed slot in our schedule, but
the 30-minute format will provide flexibility for scheduling our community programming slots.
We've also submitted the City Channel 4 website for a Savvy Award, which is administered by the
City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA). Winners will be announced in
August.
Between regular time commitments and rainy weather, I have not been able to work with the drone as
much as I would like, but I have gotten out about once a week and I'm learning my way around the
controls and the camera.
Website:
In April, there were 2,461 users accessing 4,319 pages in 3,447 sessions. Our most popular pages
were Mediacom's channel lineup page, our home page, the live-video page, Mediacom's channel rates,
our watch-online page, and the video of this year's One Book Two Book Once Upon a Time program.
On YouTube in March, we had 7,377 video views account for 22,782 minutes (330 hours and 9
minutes) of watch time. We added 13 more subscribers, and our current total is 595. Our most
watched videos by views were the Welcome to Iowa City! video (because it's on the City's website), the
Ped Mall Improvement update, Iowa City Update episodes on Deer Management and Dodge Street
Improvements, the City Council Live stream from April 23, and the Prison Dog Training program (a
national award winner!). The most watched videos by time were the Council live stream of April 23,
the Welcome to Iowa City! video, Council live stream of April 2, the indexed version of the Council
meeting of April 23, and a recent Foreign Relations Council presentation featuring UI undergrads.
Programming:
In April, we cablecast 130 programs produced in-house 792
times for 537 hours of programming, 49 locally-produced
(DITV, Senior Center, Hoover Library, Task Force on Aging,
Education Exchange and meetings of the JC Board of
Supervisors, Coralville, North Liberty, University Heights, and
ICCSD School Board) programs 184 times for 148 hours of
programming, and 23 imported programs 67 times for 31
hours of programming. We also showed 107 PSAs 1111
times for 32 hours of programming.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in April 2019
●CARTHA: North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Vocal Concert by Dr. Ashwini Bhide
●Geneva Lecture Series: Tough Calling - To Divide or to Heal
●Humanize My Hoodie
●Iowa City City Council Meeting
○April 2, 2019
○April 23, 2019
●Iowa City City Council Work Session
○April 2, 2019
○April 23, 2019
●Iowa City Foreign Relations Council Presents
○2019 UI Fulbright Student Awardees
○The End of Multilateralism and the Post-WWII International Order?
○UI Undergraduate Students Speak on Topics about Human Rights
○Update on the Current Condition in Haiti
●Iowa City Update
○Deer Management
○Dodge Street Construction Meeting
○Drug Take Back Day
○Farmers Market
○STEAM Fest
●Mighty Earth Forum: Corn, Climate & Conservation: Iowa's Clean Energy Future
●MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board of 04/03/19
●Pedestrian Mall Improvements Project - Entering Phase 2
●Prairie Preview XXXVI - UI Wild - Connecting Iowans with the Wild for a Generation
●Still Rising: Celebrating 10 Years of the Iowa City Civil Rights Trip
●Public Service Announcements
○Don't Stand for Housing Discrimination
○Underwater Egg Hunt
○Public Art Strategic Plan Survey
Date: June 17, 2019
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 June 2019 meeting
Media Production Services
Submitted by Jack Brooks, Special Projects Assistant, and Toni Ugolini, Media Production Assistant
Recent production activities:
●Topics covered for episodes of the weekly Iowa City Update program have included the City’s
tall grass ordinance, free lunch program, and the Juneteenth Commemoration.
●Created Community Highlight videos from the 2019 Iowa Arts Festival and Longfellow Front
Porch Music Festival.
●Produced a PSA on Flood Mitigation Projects (Gateway Project and Riverfront Crossings Park)
●Recorded the first official Market Music concert of the season.
●Gathered footage at the first Party in the Park event of the summer at Mercer Park. A short
montage will be created to highlight the event and to help promote upcoming events.
●Covered the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature’s Slam Poetry event, part of the Downtown
Block Party. The winning poet’s performance will be submitted for a competition between
winners from other cities of literature around the world.
Upcoming productions:
●The next Iowa City Matters podcast, featuring a discussion on bicycling in Iowa City.
●Continue creating weekly Iowa City Update programs with topics including how to recycle glass
and the Iowa City Jazz Festival.
●Producing an Iowa City In Focus program for July. Topics will include Emerald Ash Borer
treatment, Riverfront Crossings Park grand opening, and more.
●Coverage of the 2019 MusicIC Series at Trinity Episcopal Church.
●Producing a short Facebook Live event to promote the start of the Iowa City Jazz
Festival.
Programming and Interactive Services
Submitted by Kevin Crawley, Communications Technician
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
I've been trying to get out with the drone at least once a week, and I'm learning some of the
advantages of shooting from a mobile aerial platform. I've also been working on some general
improvements on the citychannel4.com website, and on the City's employee intranet site. I’ve
also worked with a new third-party provider to meet new Facebook live stream requirements, and
it seems to provide a more reliable connection for our live City Council meetings, which stream
simultaneously to the City’s Facebook page and the City Channel 4 YouTube channel.
Website:
In May, there were 3,571 users accessing 6,016 pages in 4,742 sessions. Our most popular
pages were Mediacom's channel lineup page, our live-video page, our home page, Mediacom's
channel rates, our program schedule and our watch-online page.
On YouTube, we had 7,546 video views account for 24,916 minutes (415 hours and 6 minutes) of
watch time. We added 12 more subscribers, and our current total is 608. Our most watched
videos by views were the Welcome to Iowa City! video, the Hindustani Vocal Concert, our
College Green Park drone video, Iowa City Update episodes on Recycling Reminders, Phase 2 of
the Ped Mall Project, and the Iowa Arts Festival. The most watched videos by time were the
Hindustani Vocal Concert, the Council live stream of May 7, the Welcome to Iowa City! video, and
the latest episode of Iowa City in Focus.
Programming:
In May, we cablecast 124 programs
produced in-house 801 times for 541
hours of programming, 44
locally-produced (DITV, Senior
Center, Hoover Library, Task Force
on Aging, Education Exchange and
meetings of the JC Board of
Supervisors, Coralville, North Liberty,
University Heights, and ICCSD
School Board) programs 146 times
for 131 hours of programming, and 26
imported programs 97 times for 43
hours of programming. We also
showed 100 PSAs 1163 times for 34
hours of programming.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in May 2019
●2019 Friday Night Concert Series
○City High Jazz Ensembles
○West High Jazz Ensembles
●2019 Iowa City Community Police Review Board Community Forum
●2019 Youth Human Rights Awards
●Aging in Place Forum: Communication Must-Haves
●Bike Shorts: The Benefits of Balance Bikes
●Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education 2019
●History for Lunch / Iowa Stories: Iowa Native Nations Health
●Iowa City City Council Meeting
○May 7, 2019
○May 21, 2019
●Iowa City City Council Work Session
○May 7, 2019
○May 21, 2019
●Iowa City Foreign Relations Council Presents
○The Need for International Voices in American Theater
○University of Iowa Students' Experience with the International Student
Observership Program in India
●Iowa City In Focus
○Topics covered:
■Strengthen Grow Evolve
■Humanize My Hoodie
■Dog Park Rules
■Bike Shorts: Riding at Night
●Iowa City Update
○2019 Iowa Arts Festival, Bike Rodeo, RainOut Line, Airport Viewing Area
○Library Fine Free for Kids, Pool and Splash Pads, Memorial Day Programs,
Memorial Day Service Schedule, Tea Time Planters
○Ped Mall Project, Scanlon Gymnasium Birthday Bash, Inclusive Teaching Award,
Library Director Meet & Greet
○Recycling Reminders, Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant survey, Human
Rights Youth Awards, Summer Reading Program
●MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board of 05/29/19
●Peace Officer Memorial Day Ceremony
●Public Art Strategic Plan Presentation
●Strengthen Grow Evolve
●Who Is My Neighbor? A Conversation with Author Maxwell King