Fairfield Needs FairTV!

Just when Fairfielders were getting accustomed to having access to high-quality local cable TV programming, it could be taken away. That is what will happen if Sound View Media Inc. has its way in a long-running dispute with Area Two Cable Advisory Council, which oversees FairTV programming on Channels 78 and 79. Sound View has filed a request with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to wrest control of the funding that now goes to Area Two to pay for local broadcasts.

The League of Women Voters recently put out an urgent call for citizens to contact PURA no later than this Friday, September 16^th to voice support for FairTV’s right to continue providing local programming. Mike and Cristin join the League in urging all Fairfield residents who value their right to watch town meetings on cable access TV to submit their comments to PURA right away. If you submit comments electronically, you must also submit them in writing. You’ll find all the contact info below.

Both Mike and Cristin are deeply committed to ensuring that Fairfield citizens have all the tools they need to become informed, active participants in their local government. Channels 78 and 79 provide an invaluable service to those who don’t want to miss the Board of Education, RTM or other important town bodies in action. Quite simply, more programming leads to greater participation in the democratic process.

It’s also important to note that a portion of our Cablevision fees are by law earmarked for local cable access programming. Until 2008, while Sound View was in control of all Fairfield funding, we had virtually no local programming. Through the efforts of Fairfield State Rep. Kim Fawcett and local volunteers, the state legislature passed a bill allowing towns to opt out of the Sound View service area – finally opening the door for FairTV to get a piece of the pie. 

Sound View wants to go back to the way things were. But Area Two and FairTV have shown that they’re better equipped to provide local programming – and more committed to doing so.   

Here’s how to submit comments to PURA:

Electronic:
Email to: dpuc.executivesecretary@po.state.ct.us

Remember, you must also submit comments in writing!

Written:
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Public Utilities Commission
Executive Secretary's Office
Ten Franklin Square
New Britain CT 06053

Mike Remembers 9/11

Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news on 9/11. I was at work at Home-Link, a new Raveis Real Estate venture (now defunct) based in Shelton. We all were in disbelief. We scrambled for Internet reports, but they left us wanting. Then we found the TV sets in the health club. So we all gathered around these small sets above the exercise equipment to catch any image we could. It just didn’t seem real.

For me it was a bit more personal. For two years early in my career, I worked in the South Tower in the 16^th-floor offices of the Trace Center. I was a project manager for Arthur Andersen & Co., and our group was assigned to oversee the design and installation of a large Management and Financial Information System for the MTA. Lots of memories of those friends and co-workers came to mind. I couldn’t help thinking back to those days – and tried to imagine if we would have been able to get out. I was thankful we were long gone before this tragedy took place, that my friends, my memories were all safe.

Yet each year, on September 11^th, we remember those who perished that day.  I have a daily reminder. My brother Bill is a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves. He has served in Iraq and now Afghanistan.  He comes back to Fairfield for a brief stay this week before heading back to Kabul for another 18 months. I haven’t seen him since January.  Mom and Dad cherish each email they receive from him while he is on duty. The emails let us know he is alive and well. They also serve to remind us that the fight started 10 years ago and is still ongoing. Every day men and women are putting their lives on the line to protect our country and our families.

The new 9/11 Memorial in front of the Fairfield Fire House will serve to remind us all. It will help us individually and as a community to never forget this tragedy of 10 years ago.  We need to remember. We need to stay strong. We need to be grateful to those who protect us both here and abroad.