Title
Approve and authorize the Contracts Purchasing Officer or his designee to execute an Agreement with the Monterey County Office of Education to broadcast Monterey County Board of Supervisors’ public meetings, for an amount not to exceed $15,200, for the period retroactive to January 1, 2019 through December 14, 2019.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve and authorize the Contracts Purchasing Officer or his designee to execute an Agreement with the Monterey County Office of Education to broadcast Monterey County Board of Supervisors’ public meetings, for an amount not to exceed $15,200, for the period retroactive to January 1, 2019 through December 14, 2019.
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SUMMARY:
Under the terms of the recommended agreement, the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) will broadcast public meetings of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on its public access channel on the Charter cable system during the period of January 1, 2019 through December 14, 2019. Approval of the agreement will assure that residents living north of Prunedale and south of Soledad have uninterrupted cable access to these meetings until the County can launch its own public access, government channel on the Charter system to serve them.
DISCUSSION:
The Monterey County Government Channel was launched in 2004 on the Comcast cable system. The County’s government channel is presently only available on the Comcast cable system and on AT&T U-verse, neither of which reaches certain areas of the County.
From 2004 through 2007, MCOE provided government channel services to the County, which included airing Board of Supervisors’ public meetings on its public access channel on the Charter cable system. This arrangement provided cable access to Board of Supervisors’ meetings to residents living north of Prunedale and south of Soledad who are served by the Charter cable system.
In 2007, the County selected a different vendor to provide government channel broadcast services. Under a new agreement, MCOE continued to air Monterey County Board of Supervisors’ public meetings on its Charter cable channel; in exchange, it received access to and use of the County’s I-Net fiber to transmit educational programs.
MCOE no longer requires the County’s I-Net services. Thus, a fee-based service agreement with MCOE is now necessary to provide uninterrupted access to Board of Supervisors’ meetings to residents north of Prunedale and south of Soledad. The County, acting through the Information Technology Department (ITD), is in the process of establishing its own channel on the Charter cable system. ITD anticipates that the County will have an operational public access and government channel on the Charter cable system by the end of 2019. Accordingly, it will be able to serve the northern and southern areas of the County by the end of 2019, when the recommended agreement term ends.
This agreement is recommended to maintain cable access to Board of Supervisors’ public meetings in all areas of the County.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel reviewed the Agreement as to legal form. The Information Technology Department reviewed fiscal provisions.
FINANCING:
There is no impact to the General Fund from this agreement. Government channel activities and services are funded by cable franchise fees.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The proposed agreement with the Monterey County Office of Education will maintain existing access to Board of Supervisors’ meeting for the northern and southern parts of the County, ensuring all county residents have equal cable access to Monterey County government activities.
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Prepared by: Maia Carroll, Communications Coordinator, x3092
Alex Zheng, ITD Division Manager - Infrastructure, x6991
Approved by: Nicolas Chiulos, Assistant County Administrative Officer, x5145
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Nicholas E. Chiulos, Assistant County Administrative Officer
Attachment:
MCOE Broadcasting Services Agreement