1. The Regional Bell companies lobbied to remove "public space" from S. 1822. They succeeded in forcing Senator Hollings (D-SC) to withdraw this "Communications Act of 1994" from the Senate's consideration. However, Senator Packwood (R-OR) is already at work drafting new legislation which will be even more supportive of the Bell companies — and dangerous to access.

2. Bell companies are pushing "video dial-tone" -- cable TV without the franchise fee. Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC's) are filing petitions with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide "video dial-tone" service. By avoiding the term "cable television," they will successfully avoid paying franchise fees to local governments, in exchange for the use of the public right of way. And they will successfully avoid their obligation to support public, educational, and governmental access to their networks.

3. Bell companies aim to take 50% from the cable TV market -- and from your franchise fees. According to a Washington Post article on October 11th, 1994, Bell Atlantic President James Cullen and Chairman Raymond W. Smith "predict that their company will take 50 percent of the Mid-Atlantic region's cable television market away from local cable operators within the next five years." And that means a 50% cut in the fanchise fees which supports P.E.G. access.

4. Cable TV will protest the "unfair competition" -- and will fight their franchise requirements. With the deregulatory moods of both Congress and the courts, cable companies have a good chance of winning their case of proving that "franchise fees" are unwarranted restrictions of free trade.

This will mean the death of public, educational, and government access to the "private roads" of telecommunications networks — unless the Alliance for Community Media is successful in defending and advancing media access for all. The Alliance is uniquely poised to protect and advance access in Washington, D.C, and the rest of the country. No other organization can boast the strengths of the Alliance for Community Media:

• The Alliance has a full-time staff based in Washington, D.C. This means that we look out for your interests on a full-time basis
  
  

• The Alliance actively participates in -- and leads -- public policy coalitions. The Alliance attends monthly updates with the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable, has been an active and vocal member of a coalition organized by the Media Access Project of the People for the American Way, and is part of the steering group for a coalition of media arts groups called Media Democracy in Action (MeDIA) which has been at the forefront of mobilizing support for freedom of expression.
  
  

• The Alliance defends your interests to policy makers. Board members have testified before Congress, participated in hearings before the U.S. Department of Commerce, and reviewed proposals for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA's) Telecommunications Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP). The Alliance's suit against the FCC (now taken up by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C, Circuit) shows that we are serious about defeating censorship rules. Most recently, the Alliance was requested by the Senate Commerce Committee to prepare S. 1822 report language -- much of which was incorporated into the final "Background and Needs" which is now part of the official Congressional record.

But these are only the laurels of the past. The Alliance has also staked out a vigorous course of action for the next few crucial months and for the years ahead. The Alliance will:

• Roll out a public education campaign to shape popular opinion. The Alliance will hire a Director of Communications next year to coordinate all current publications and to aggressively change the image of media access.
  
  
• Strengthen relationships with allied coalitions and organizations. The Alliance is exploring new ways to work with National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), the Alliance for Communications Democracy (ACD), educational institutions, media arts organizations, and other allies.

• Boost membership recruitment and services. Our growing membership demands more information and communication. So we've created the full-time position of Membership Services Director and we'll add a third full-time staff member in 1995, the Director of Communications, who will oversee all publications and manage our electronic communications system.

The Alliance is also strengthening support to the Regions and Chapters and bolstering the Special Interest Group (SIG) structure and services. The Board and Staff of the Alliance is embarking on a major membership-building and fundraising campaign which will turn these plans into action. Members are urged to:

The Alliance must take action before the 104th Congress begins in mid-January -- and that's why this campaign is so crucial in the next few months. Quite simply, without decisive action right now, the sign of the times on the information superhighway may very well be "Private Road: No Public Access."