Community television faced a funding crisis with the introduction of house Bill 4965 in the fall 2023. HB4965 would re-write the public act (PA480) that regulates cable television provider’s use of the public rights of way for profit. These modifications to PA480, as proposed in HB4965, would exempt all video streaming services from the video service fees collected for right of way use. If enacted, HB4965 could have pushed all funding for community medias centers and public access studios to zero.
Communities across Michigan spoke out on the damage HB4965 could render to their general fund budgets and the impact to community media. The loss of local revenue would be north of $150 million dollars annually. In the spring of 2024, the bill moved to the Senate. Here, testimony was given for and against HB4965. Community advocacy groups and city officials shared their concerns for HB4965, and late in the 2024 legislative session, were notified that HB4965 would not pass the Senate, and would die in committee. Similar bills to HB4965 have been passed through out the U.S. Michigan, is the only state in the Union to halt such legislation. The Senate encouraged the cable television, streaming services, and the community advocacy groups, to work to modernize PA480. With cable television use on the wane, these local revenue streams continue to decline impacting the bottom line of every Village, City, and Township in Michigan. There are no easy solutions to slow the loss of right of way video service fees. With the changing landscape of how subscribers get their news and entertainment, the laws regulating the delivery of these services too must change and modernize.
Reporting by: ONTV and the OCCCC