Progress in Community Media Funding Reform
Moderator: Angelike Contis – President, Vermont Access Network / Executive Director, Mount Mansfield Community Television
Panelists:
Mike Wassenaar – President, Alliance for Community Media
Rep. Peter Anthony – Member, Vermont House Ways and Means Committee
Peter Bluhm – Consultant and Author of “The PEG Study”
Tammie Reilly – Executive Director, Greater Northshire Access Television (GNAT-TV)
Description:
Like other states in the northeast region of the US, Vermont’s community media centers have joined together to forge a legislative agenda to offset declining cable franchise fees. After 40 years of success in the regulatory arena, Vermont Access Network is working with legislative leaders on one-time funding requests and, in 2024, on a long-term policy solution.
Today’s luncheon panel features Vermont House Ways and Means Committee Member Rep. Peter Anthony, who will discuss legislative efforts to modernize the state’s telecommunications tax structure. We’ll also hear from Peter Bluhm, author of the “PEG Study”, a Vermont legislative white paper detailing PEG and other telecom public benefit revenue options, and Tammie Reilly, GNAT Executive Director who will lay out VAN’s short-term funding strategy, which has generated $2.4 million since 2020 and the
highlights of the Community Media Public Benefit Fund, to be taken up by the Vermont
Legislature in January 2024.