About the Cable Franchise

1. About the Cable Franchise We have been silent, since we filed the lawsuit.

2. I was voted in by the people in 1998 to build and operate a Cable TV. Franchise in the city limits of Blackwell.

3. The City forced us to go to a “Vote Of The People”, even though they could of just simply approved it.

4. They did not believe we would be able to pull it off.

5. The fact is many of our leaders worked against us starting rumors.

6. The City never tried to help us, in fact quite the opposite.

7. What did we do to create such animosity? The fact is we did nothing improper! Other then we built it, when they thought we couldn’t!

8. Time is our testament. Our problem was we did too good of a job, or we did not fail like expected.

9. We were successful, and our customers liked us, we thanked them and treated them with kindness. We loved them because they chose and supported us.

10. We did strange things, like put a camera in our office so they could watch us work on our head-end equipment.

11. We put a camera on top of the grain elevator, and played music. Occasional pointing it at the City buildings.

12. We filmed football games, parades, the Kay Co. Fair.

13. We filmed weather events, provided weather radar and live storm coverage. We even had our own storm spotters.

14. I loved doing the weather, but kind of lost interest after the City started attacking me. they tried to make me stop doing it, claiming I was endangering the town.

15. We worked our tails off. 60 hours a week minimum, never got a vacation, we were on call 24hrs a day, and we barely saw our children.

16. And there was never enough money to pay ourselves during the first 8 years.

17. We struggled financially, just like most of our customers. We understood and tried to work with them when they were short.

18. We lost a lot of money being nice, but it paid off in the long haul. I certainly hold no grudges, life is to short. Besides I can’t remember anyways.

19. We worked with our customers, never calling them and harassing them for money.

20. We would put up on TV, “We NEED YOUR Payment, X-Number of people have not yet came in.” It worked better than postage. The City didn’t like that either. We just tried to save money, keep low prices.

21. Our customers knew we needed their support, those payments built this system. I owe you back. I haven’t forgotten. So that is why I fight for what I believe is right for all of us.

22. And Julie knew every single one of you by name. Plus your address, your kids, parents, cousins, and how much you owed.

23. We did what we said we were going to do! You can’t fault us on that. This is a tough town to go to church in, I think we got invited twice.

24. We tried very hard but were never excepted. That’s because of the City’s tactics against us, and they let it be known.

25. It took this franchise battle and Julie’s death to truly discover what was really behind their actions, and I truly believe this with all my heart.

26. We were liked by the plain folk, those ones that didn’t have something to hide, gain, or loose.

27. The City knows this, they were worried and still are. Our mistake was, that we were more popular than they were. They will go to any length to prove and discredit us. Just like this franchise battle.

28. Is this not the most stupid thing you ever seen. They have spent so much money, just to throw a local person out of town, it should be criminal. They will lie to you and say that’s not true, but I will testify in the name of my father it’s true.

29. We tried to support the City, and in our own way, we did. Low cable prices saved everyone thousands of dollars. That saved money, in turn, went back into the local economy.

30. We also paid the City $20,000 dollars yearly in electric usage that would of not otherwise been available, if we were not voted in by you. Today it is more like $44,850 a year. We’re in the same boat as you, just bigger.

31. Yes, it’s true, we paid our franchise fees late. We always struggled. It was a rough eight years.

32. My City never helped me, my Chamber never helped me, the BIA, tried to destroy me. Cordell was in the BIA in the 1990’s. He was there when DW Boyd was the BIA attorney, and Boyd said there was no contamination on the smelter property.

33. We came out in support for the school when they needed a new roof, parking lot, and Gym.

34. We offered to build the school a fiber optic system that tied all the schools together, FOR FREE.

35. Instead they went with AT&T and paid them.

36. We provided the City, Police Dept. and Fire Station with Free Internet for 7 years.

37. They canceled my service and now pay AT&T $1,500 a month.

38. Now our franchise says I must build studios at the High School and City Hall at my expense. City Hall always refused to allow us to film their meetings. Now they want me to build them a studio.

39. Now I am required to give 3% of all revenues collected, in addition to the Franchise Fee, as a Grant to the school. This will be Billed to you, so they can run a community access channel.

40. I must give this to the school as a grant, paid to them quarterly. If I fail to do so, they will cancel our Franchise.

41. I’m told I must not lease out Ch. 2 to iRock Inc., Taxpayers for Transparency, or any other third party, this is in direct violation of federal law which says I must. I must have City approval and follow their rules. Government Censorship.

42. If I don’t stop leasing our Channel 2, they can fine me, cancel our Franchise, and take my cable system. There is even a clause that says after they take my cable system, I have to run it for the City for 12 months. FREE

43. Who could agree to Franchise terms like those?Could you?

44. Would you spend 10 years of your life building a good business and agree to a contract with the City that said they could take it away from you and make you work for them for free.Sounds like communism to me.

45. There are so many catch “22’s” in this document. So much reporting that we will be spending all our time doing meaningless tasks and our customers will be the ones that will pay and suffer from it.

46. The City’s Franchise is now a 39 page document in smallprint. The original was only 7 pages long.

47. The Pole Rental Agreement is another example of unrealistic demands upon us.

48. They are requiring me to pay $3.50 per attachment. There are multiple attachments on many of the poles.

49. The agreement says the BMA is the owner of the poles. This is a lie, the BMA does not own the poles, the citizens do.The BMA leases them.