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> The agreement exempts Google from a 3 percent "PEG fee" that the city charges Comcast.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

This is very very very bad and sets a horrible precedent. Portland has one of the best cable-access facilities and set of stations in the country. They serve a vital public interest, allow absolute free expression, and "professionalize" niche programs that otherwise would just be someone talking into a webcam.



In the age of YouTube, is public access TV really that necessary anymore?


Am I misunderstanding you or are you suggesting that anyone who provides Internet service in Portland should be subsidizing public access television?


Note that Google Fiber is essentially a cable company since they provide TV. Whether a company uses coax, twisted pair, or fiber isn't relevant to video franchise agreements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multichannel_video_programming_...


Requring an ISP to fund a public access channel is like requiring auto factories in the early 1900s to provide free hay to nearby stables.


In your analogy, these auto factories would also bundle each bought car with a horse.

Google sells TV service, just like any other TV provider.

(Not disagreeing with you necessarily, just pointing out a flaw in your analogy)


Luckily Google also owns and operates the largest and most watched public access station of all time.




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