As you’ve likely heard, MassAccess has hired the Cohen Law Group to help us develop and file comments of opposition to the FCC’s Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 18-131. If passed, these rule changes will have historic and devastating negative effects on funding for community media stations across the country.
Dan Cohen and Joel Winston are the individuals MassAccess will be working with closely on this endeavor. They recently provided us with a summary of their services and strategy. You may find this summary useful when you speak to your boards or to your issuing authorities.
Many members ask what they can do to help. After speaking with our counsel, we are confident that you should be taking the following steps:
- Approach the issuing authority in your city or town about filing comment. Feel free to share the template provided by NATOA, as well as their summary. Follow up your initial contact and attempt to secure an in person meeting. If you need help with some of the details, call a MassAccess board member.
- Alert your Boards of Directors or organizational governance about the issue. Ask them to help you in your meetings with city or town boards. After discussions with our lawyers, we’ve determined that filing of comments from individual stations is welcome and encouraged. HOWEVER, haphazard or repetitive filings will be disregarded by the FCC. Attorneys Cohen and Winston will join us on our FIRST FRIDAY CONFERENCE CALL next Friday – November 2 at 11am to give specific instructions.
- Join the call. All MassAccess members are invited to participate and the credentials will be sent out next week in the Quick Hits newsletter and posted in the forum. We will be providing specific instructions on the best way to file as well as templates for filing. If you’re already planning on filing, we ask that you hold off until after the call.
- Create some video content on why community media is important. Many of you may have this ready to go. Please send these videos to us so that we can share it on our website and social media. A big part of any legislative push is creating positive press. We have the power to promote ourselves!
Thanks for your attention to this critical matter. Please continue to monitor the forum and other communication from MassAccess. Please also remember that the old listserv will be discontinued at the end of 2018.
