The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access Corp.:
Watertown Cable Access Corp (WCA-TV) and the City of Watertown will be holding a Public Ascertainment Hearing on Tuesday, July 22nd at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. This hearing will take place in advance of formal negotiations with Comcast regarding the renewal of the city’s 10-year cable license, which is set to expire in October 2025. Comcast, City officials, and WCA-TV’s Board of Directors will be present to hear from the public and gather feedback on the following topics:
Comcast’s compliance with its currently existing cable license
The city’s future needs related to cable access
The impact of WCA-TV and why local television is such a vital resource for the city
Why This Matters:
A cable license is important because it delivers programming to cable TV subscribers, offers free cable TV connections to the city, schools, and community locations, and provides essential community media funding support. For WCA-TV, cable funding makes up about 98% of their annual revenue, which is the case for many other community media stations across the country. Without a cable license, community media stations would cease to exist.