HomeMy WebLinkAboutICTC Agenda and Packet 2019-02-25
Agenda
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St., Tower Place Parking Facility, Level 3A
February 25, 5:30PM
1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Announcements of Commissioners
4. Short public announcements
5. Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission
6. REPORTS
Consumer Issues
Mediacom Report
Local Access Reports
City Cable TV Office Report
7. Adjournment
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Ty
Coleman at 319-356-5454 or ty-coleman@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow
sufficient time to meet your access needs.
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
1 of 6
Minutes
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
December 17, 2018 – 5:30 P.M.
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, Level 3A
Call to Order:Meeting called to order at 5:30 P.M.
Members Present:Matthew Brenton, Paul Gowder, James Pierce
Members Absent:Kyla Paterson
Staff Present:Ty Coleman, Sue Dulek
Others Present:Bond Drager
Recommendations to Council: None
Approval of Minutes:
Gowder moved and Pierce seconded a motion to approve the October 22, 2018 minutes as
presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
Brenton mentioned that he had been asked by a co-worker about a company called Mobilitie
after he noticed some equipment labeled with their name mounted to a local utility pole.
Coleman said he had not heard anything about this company or its efforts to install equipment in
Iowa City, but that he would look into it. Brenton wondered if the equipment was related to 5G
data technology.
Short Public Announcements:
None.
Post-franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission:
Sue Dulek from the City Attorney’s Office introduced herself to the group and said she was
present to answer any questions as the group discusses what it wants its role to be and what it
wants to propose to City Council. Dulek clarified the difference between the concepts of being a
City Council-appointed commission vs. becoming a community group or advisory board. She
noted that, while a council-appointed group may report to Council and is subject to open
meetings and open records laws, a community group with a specific interest could periodically
report or make suggestions to Council and there would not be an official tie between the group
and the City.
Dulek referred to the Climate Action Committee and a bike advisory group as examples of
groups that are not official City boards or commissions, though they are still able to present
themselves to Council when desired and may be called upon by the Council at times for
updates or recommendations related to a particular topic. Dulek said that no matter how the
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
2 of 6
Commission chooses to see itself, it will have to redefine its role now that the local franchise has
expired.
Brenton asked about what happens to the section of the City ordinance that established the
Telecommunications Commission now that the franchise is expired. Dulek said at some point
the Council would need to take some kind of action, but it may be more likely that portions of the
ordinance would be revised rather than removing the franchise enabling ordinance altogether.
Brenton referred to the Climate Action Committee meeting minutes, included in the meeting
packet, that provided answers to questions that group had as it discussed the differences
between an advisory committee vs. a formal council-appointed committee. Brenton said these
answers were helpful in providing clarity on the distinction between the two types of groups.
Gowder said that given that the Commission had already been operating with a small amount of
influence and no actual authority, he felt that becoming an advisory board would not make
sense. He suggested that either the Council should find a meaningful role for the Commission
going forward or that the group should be dissolved. Dulek said that the Council is seeking the
Commission’s recommendation on whether it should continue to be a Council-appointed group
and what its role should be. Dulek noted that nearly all of the commissions are advisory in
nature and do not make final decisions.
Gowder noted that a group like the Planning and Zoning Commission seems to perform some
more active duties in a more official capacity, such as holding hearings for initial determinations.
He asked if there were other commissions that did not typically perform relatively formal duties.
Dulek clarified that the Planning and Zoning Commission was, in fact, advisory in nature,
despite carrying out some of its responsibilities in a more formal way. Dulek said that the City’s
Senior Center Commission would be similar to the Telecommunications Commission in that it
makes recommendations about the operation and programming of the Senior Center, but does
not make the final decisions. The Parks and Recreation Commission and the Public Art
Committee were other examples of groups that makes recommendations, but without the
authority to make the final decisions.
Gowder asked if there is anything in the domain of telecommunications that the Council has
control over, comparable to the Senior Center and city parks. If so, Gowder suggested that the
Telecommunications Commission’s role would be similar to those Council-appointed groups.
Dulek suggested that the group should think about whether there is a role in the community for
which it feels it is important for the City to have a group that meets periodically to consider the
issues related to the role and reports back.
Brenton said that such a role could exist if the group shifted its focus towards advocating for
access to faster and more affordable broadband, as well as looking into municipal broadband.
Brenton mentioned the community group that had presented its desire and intentions to
collaborate with the Iowa City Community School District to provide WiFi to neighbors near
school facilities. He said it could be valuable to focus on whether the City can either provide
broadband or support options to improve the availability of alternatives, especially as it relates to
creating access for lower-income residents.
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
3 of 6
Gowder recalled that the last time municipal broadband was brought up by the Council, there
seemed to be only tentative interest in investigating the options and said that if there was not a
prospect for the City having an interest in following up on the topic, then it would not be worth
the time of those who would participate in the group - but if there was an interest, then it would
be worth their time. Dulek suggested that the Commission could propose that the Council form
a committee that would explore municipal broadband with a defined agenda and would report
back in a set amount of time. Dulek referred to the Climate Action Committee and how they had
been given a period of time to develop a proposal for the Climate Action Plan, which was
adopted by the Council, and then the Committee decided to keep an eye on things in more of an
informal manner.
Pierce said that if Council is interested in pursuing the topic, the group could take six months to
research and develop a plan that the City could feasibly carry out that would improve service,
broadband speeds, and affordability. Pierce said the group could also serve as the go-between
for people experiencing service or connection problems, but admitted that he didn’t know of a
time when anyone had come to the group in need of assistance. Coleman said that customers
typically contact the Cable TV Office, which works with the local Mediacom staff to resolve an
issue or to at least obtain information to provide clarity to a situation. Coleman said that at one
time, the idea was that the Commission would play a part in mediating between two parties if an
issue escalated to that point. Brenton said the current duties state this, but that he didn’t know
of a time when the Commission had served in an enforcement capacity and noted that with the
local franchise gone, the group wouldn’t have the ability to enforce anything anyway.
Brenton agreed that it would make sense to ask City Council if there is interest in municipal
broadband and whether a group should be established to explore it. Gowder suggested that if
the Council reconstituted the group into a kind of municipal broadband investigatory
commission, it would confirm its commitment to doing something or at least to listening to a
report on the subject. Brenton said that if the Council confirmed its interest in pursuing
municipal broadband, then an advisory board could be created to investigate and report back in
six months or a year. Gowder added that it would only be worth the group’s time if the majority
of Council was interested in voting for something related to the exploration of municipal
broadband. Brenton and Pierce agreed.
Dulek offered that the Commission could propose some practical details about how this kind of
group would operate, such as the number and types of members, for instance, whether they
should serve in a professional capacity in a telecommunications-related field or whether
members could simply be a part of the general public.
Pierce said it would be helpful to get some kind of estimate of how much funding the Council
thinks it would possibly be willing to commit towards carrying out a potential municipal
broadband system, should a feasible plan be developed and adopted. He said it would be
necessary to have a designated contact at the City, such as the City Manager, to determine an
amount that would be conceivable for this kind of thing.
Brenton said the group should write a proposal and asked if they should first send a message
about their intentions to Council or if the proposal should accompany it. Dulek suggested that
including a proposal with some basic points would make it easier for Council to talk about and
make decisions about the recommendation. Brenton asked if the group should come up with a
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
4 of 6
proposal and meet to vote on it. Coleman suggested the group form a subcommittee to develop
the proposal. Gowder said he would be willing to help someone to create a proposal. Pierce
said he would have time to devote to drafting one. All members agreed that Pierce and Gowder
would become the subcommittee. Sue said they should feel free to reach out to her with
questions as they develop the proposal. Brenton said that the group could vote on the proposal
at the next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Commission.
Pierce asked if it would make sense for one of the Commission members to go to a Council
meeting to present the proposal. Dulek said that the draft minutes from the next meeting’s
discussion of the drafted proposal would make it to Council, where it could be discussed at an
upcoming work session. At that time, it is likely the Council would decide whether to meet with
the Commission and something could be scheduled. Dulek said anyone is welcome to attend a
council meeting and speak during the public comments portion.
Consumer Issues:
Brenton noted there were two months of reports in the packet. Brenton asked about the issue
involving a resident who reported that CenturyLink service was available for his neighbor’s
residence, but not for his own. Coleman said the issue was still unresolved and that he has
continued to follow up with CenturyLink contacts and the resident has continued to stay in touch
with the Cable TV Office about the issue. Coleman said the last activity was that CenturyLink
staff reported the issue had been escalated again, but hasn’t heard any more. Coleman said he
had recently encountered an acquaintance who he learned was working for CenturyLink and
asked her about who he should contact to advocate for action to be taken. Coleman said his
contact suggested he send her a message about the issue. He said he sent the message and
she had already responded that a new, escalated ticket had been submitted in their system.
Coleman said he was confident that his new contact would help to get the issue resolved in a
timely manner.
Mediacom Report:
Coleman said he received communication from local Mediacom staff that fiber maintenance
would be taking place on January 9, 2019 and that cable TV service would be affected.
Coleman said that typically this kind maintenance is done between the hours of midnight and 6
a.m. in order to minimize the number of customers impacted by the outage.
Coleman said he also received a letter from Mediacom that listed the rate increases that would
take place at the start of 2019. The local broadcast station and regional sports surcharges
continue to climb. The Family TV and Prime TV packages will increase as well. Coleman said
he looked back at past notices of increases and said that prices haven’t jumped up by leaps and
bounds, but that the increases haven’t necessarily been a slow trickle, either. Coleman said the
local broadcast station surcharge has seen the most significant change over time. This
surcharge is what Mediacom pays local stations to retransmit the primary TV networks,
including ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox, and is out of Mediacom’s control. Coleman said the letter
indicated that over the past nine years, this fee charged to cable companies had increased by
1,150 percent.
Local Access Reports:
Drager said The Library Channel continues to record storytimes and lectures and other common
program types. Coleman asked for a reminder of the date on which The Library Channel would
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
5 of 6
cease to cablecast its programming in an effort to focus on online distribution. Drager said that
April 2, 2019 would be the final day of cablecasting for The Library Channel.
City Cable TV Office Report:
Coleman referred to the written report the Cable TV Office had submitted in the meeting packet
and added that City Channel 4 would soon be featuring its annual Holiday Music Marathon and
New Year’s Summer Music Marathon, each running for 24 hours and featuring most of the
concerts Cable TV staff had recorded throughout the year, including the Iowa City UNESCO
City of Literature’s MusicIC series, Friday Night Concerts, Market Music performances, and
more. Coleman said his staff had recently worked with the Senior Center to record a couple of
concerts and live stream them on Facebook. Coleman said he is promoting the marathons as
being a good option for background music for holiday gatherings.
Coleman said that the City Communications Team is starting to produce an audio podcast that
will offer a longer format for the discussion of issues of importance to the community. He said
the podcast’s format will be conversational and that the first episode is on historic preservation.
Coleman said that the first episode will be made available sometime in the first half of January.
The podcast will be available on the City’s website, the City Channel 4 website, and through
podcast applications such as SoundCloud and iTunes.
Adjournment:
Gowder moved and Pierce seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment was at 6:07 p.m.
PRELIMINARY
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12/17/2018 Meeting Minutes
6 of 6
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
12-MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD
Gowder Bergus Brenton Johnk
01/22/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant
02/26/2018 x x x x vacant
03/26/2018 x x x x vacant
Pierce
04/23/2018 x x x x x
05/21/2018 x o/c x x x
06/25/2018 x x x o/c x
07/23/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant vacant
08/27/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant vacant
9/24/2018 x vacant x vacant x
Paterson
10/22/2018 x o x vacant x
11/26/2018
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant
12/17/2018 x o x vacant x
(x) = Present
(o) = Absent
(o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)
FW: Public Broadband Discussion
FYI.
Geoff Fruin
City Manager
From: Stewart, Gustave [mailto:gustave‑stewart@uiowa.edu]
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2019 9:44 AM
To: Geoff Fruin <Geoff‑Fruin@iowa‑city.org>
Cc: Wu, Aus n A Y <aus n‑wu@uiowa.edu>
Subject: Public Broadband Discussion
Hi Geoff,
I know the city council is thinking about looking at ways the telecommunications committee might be
changing and public broadband was referenced as an option. I have access to sur vey results regarding a
public broadband sur vey that was distributed to students via a mass email around spring last year. I'm
simply passing this information on since the city is considering this option. I was not par t of the sur vey or
distribution, so I am not aware about the details of the sur vey. I figured it would good to pass this along
considering the city is potentially looking at this option in the long‐term future.
Thanks,
Gustave Stewart Gustave Stewart ﴾he/him/his﴿
Political Science & Economics I University of Iowa '19
City Liaison | UI Student Government
gustave‐stewart@uiowa.edu
Geoff Fruin
Thu 1/10/2019 12:06 PM
To:Ashley Monroe <Ashley‐Monroe@iowa‐city.org>; Shannon McMahon <Shannon‐McMahon@iowa‐city.org>; Ty Coleman <Ty‐
Coleman@iowa‐city.org>;
.1 attachments ﴾248 KB﴿
Public Broadband Survey Results modified ﴾1﴿.pdf ;
Default Report
Public Broadband Survey
February 24, 2018 3:08 PM MST
Q1 - Do you live on-campus or off-campus?
On-campus
Off-campus
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Showing Rows: 1 - 3 Of 3
#Field Choice Count
1 On-campus 17.78%175
2 Off-campus 82.22%809
984
Q2 - Who is your internet service provider (ISP)?
Mediacom
CenturyLink
South Slope
ImOn
eduroam
(university
internet)
Other
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
Showing Rows: 1 - 7 Of 7
#Field Choice Count
1 Mediacom 56.04%552
2 CenturyLink 21.32%210
3 South Slope 1.93%19
4 ImOn 0.51%5
5 eduroam (university internet)14.92%147
6 Other 5.28%52
985
Q3 - Would you consider yourself to be satisfied with the quality of your internet service?
Yes, I am satisfied
with my internet
No, I am *not*
satisfied with my
internet
I'm somewhat
satisfied with my
internet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Showing Rows: 1 - 4 Of 4
#Field Choice Count
1 Yes, I am satisfied with my internet 24.49%241
2 No, I am *not* satisfied with my internet 31.91%314
3 I'm somewhat satisfied with my internet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯43.60%429
984
Q4 - What do you use the internet for? (select all that apply)
School/classes
Research/informatio
n
Work
Paying bills/rent
Shopping
Entertainment
News
Student
Orgnizations
Other (please
specify)
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Showing Rows: 1 - 10 Of 10
#Field Choice Count
1 School/classes 14.43%952
2 Research/information 13.99%923
3 Work 10.32%681
4 Paying bills/rent 12.94%854
5 Shopping 13.32%879
6 Entertainment 14.61%964
7 News 12.82%846
8 Student Orgnizations 6.58%434
9 Other (please specify)1.00%66
6599
Other (please specify)
Other (please specify)
Q6 - How many classes require internet access?
1-2
3-4
5+
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Showing Rows: 1 - 4 Of 4
#Field Choice Count
1 1-2 15.28%145
2 3-4 34.25%325
3 5+50.47%479
949
Q8 - Would you support the implementation of public broadband internet service in the
Iowa City area? (This would mean the city of Iowa City would provide internet service as a
public utility, at rates proportional to cost for the city. For example, the city of Chattanooga,
Tennessee offers public high-speed internet at rates of 1 gigabit/second for $70/month, or
100 megabits/second for $58/month.)
Yes
No
Maybe
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Showing Rows: 1 - 4 Of 4
#Field Choice Count
1 Yes 70.49%695
2 No 9.33%92
3 Maybe 20.18%199
986
Q9 - If given the option, would you switch from your current internet provider to public
broadband?
Yes, I would
No, I wouldn't
No, I cannot as I
live on campus
Maybe
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550
Showing Rows: 1 - 5 Of 5
#Field Choice Count
1 Yes, I would 75.11%522
2 No, I wouldn't 0.86%6
3 No, I cannot as I live on campus 7.19%50
4 Maybe 16.83%117
695
Q8 - Free response: Feel free to use this space to put in any additional thoughts and
comments you might have on the topic. If you do not have anything additional to say, leave
this space blank.
Free response: Feel free to use this space to put in any additional thought...
I think there needs to be further education as to what all this means. It seems like a good idea but the payment per speed is confusing.
Who's paying the rate? People who live on on Campus housing? Those that live off campus? Residents of Iowa City? That's not really clear in the
survey. What about those folks that have Wi-Fi included in their rent? I don't think the wording of the survey is sufficient in communicating what
exactly is being proposed.
I have a data plan for this reason. I do not wish to pay an additional fee to have wifi where I normally use my data. I also think that the service will not
be as fast as you promise it to be. Unless I know it will allow me to stream music or use it freely with little buffering I would rather use my data that I
can depend on.
If this idea would be implemented I would hope the service could be extended to the surrounding cities and towns as well, particularly Coralville and
Tiffin and possibly North Liberty. Many University of Iowa students and personnel do not reside in Iowa City, and many U of I operations/buildings
operate outside of the limits of Iowa City (Research Park, for example) so the ability to provide the service to connect all surrounding areas could be
incredibly beneficial.
I have used Mediacom for the past six years. It is by far the worst utility experience of mine. They can also get away with poor quality service and
higher rates with few competitors. Public telecommunication providers are the future. Iowa City can do better than Mediacom.
I guess I should have put yes, that I would support it. I was mis-remembering the rate I currently pay. Unfortunately your survey system doesn't
provide for a way to go back and change answers.
Not only would it provide more stable internet, but it would show Mediacom that it can't treat its customers like dirt just because they are the only
high speed option.
Support this both in its own right, and as a way to subvert moves to kill net neutrality.
MEDIACOM SUCKS
I am from the Cedar Falls Area and I do highly encourage with City provided utilities that include internet service. In this my home town provides many
internet packages and the internet service is really helpful and I would strongly recommend into looking into and to discus with them how they provide
internet services.
My roommates (3 of us) are paying a total of $72 per month for slow internet that rarely works when all of us are on it. I would most definitely pay $70
for internet as a utility, especially at the speeds given.
It really depends on how expensive it would be, if it's $70 that's way too much it would be cheaper for me to do it myself. If it's like $30 then sign me
up.
If the internet being offered is faster and/or less expensive, then I would be very interested.
If I were to switch, Iowa City's broadband internet must have good customer service.
I would need more background on this issue. It would be great to pay internet like any other utility, but I worry about speed/reliability of the
connection, and the price would have to be less than I'm currently paying for my internet.
I am strongly in support of this idea.
'proportional to the city' scares me. if it's as proportional as rent is to the city (200% higher than anywhere else in america) then keep that idea the hell
away from us. I'd rather have slightly worse internet for a normal price than good internet that makes me broke
Lol, good luck
Needs to be competitive pricing to switch Reliability is a concern
I love the idea of making internet a public good. However, I imagine their will be a lot of resistance from the likes of Mediacom and Centurylink. The
Capitalist Machine is not one that goes down easily. Best of luck!
I feel that this would be very helpful for our community because more accessible internet gives more motivation to stay at local businesses (coffee
shops and restaurants) to study. Although many businesses do provide wifi, it is rarely reliable and crashes more than it works
Mostly, I find the area internet providers frustrating because my connection goes in and out all the time. I also don't use as much as their smallest
package requires so I'm overpaying for a lot of usage that is never, well, used. If nothing else, public broadband would at least provide some diversity in
the area so it isn't monopolized by one provider.
na
I do live out of town, but feel strongly this should be offered as an option. See also the city of Muscatine and Cedar Falls- these cities run their utilities
and offer very reasonable internet rates.
There was a typo at the bottom of one of the previous questions, the word organization was spelled incorrectly.
I believe the prices in Iowa City would have to be lower than the examples provided from Tennessee because those rates appear to be the same or
above the current price I pay with Mediacom.
I think this is a great idea and would have huge support from the entire IC population. There appears to be a universal hate for the mediacom
monopoly, and I think many users would switch to a public broadband even if they were relatively satisfied with mediacom. Reliability must be the
focus of the new public service.
I think implementing municipal broadband is the first step in freeing internet availability from corporations. It's also important for net neutrality. As a
student I'd benefit greatly from not being limited in my research by slow internet.
This is a great idea, especially if you can use the prices listed in the example. I am currently paying about $70 for 100 mb/s. There is no other provider
to provide lower values and if you compare this price to Europe, it is extremely overpriced. Internet has become a basic utility to function in the
modern society.
The current private rate for internet is $28/month for 40 Mbps. It is much more affordable than the rates suggested in the Tennessee example. My
hometown tried putting a community public internet utility in, and it universally cost people more money AND was compulsory. Bad idea!
Please make this happen
Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) does a similar program, and it is great! I'd recommend looking at them as a model for what Iowa City could implement. LOVE
the idea of changing internet services here.
In my hometown in Michigan, we had city wide internet. It did not work very often and always crashed. I would much rather buy my own internet than
have shady internet service for the entire city.
not sure I entirely understand because I have not researched this before and not much info is provided. what are the pros and cons? is it cheaper? is it
more reliable?
I would need the internet service to be around the example given, then I would support fully!
I need more information in order to make a decision.
I think the internet is a vital resource for all people, including college students, as living in modern day society requires access to the internet. I would
not switch from my current provider, as it is paid for by my landlord. However, if it was not supplied, I would heavily consider Iowa City internet.
I would love to see the city get into internet access especially if it would mean cheaper prices and/or just having competition for Mediacom which is
the only company that has internet speed higher than 20 mg/s
This is a great idea as Mediacom currently offers horrible quality internet and service because they have very little competition.
SAVE ME FROM MEDIACOM
I don't want to subsidize everyone else's internet. The usage will go up and the rates will to. I am satisfied with my current service and it does not cost
$70 per month
The day we get public internet is the day I burn the Mediacom building to the ground. Godspeed friends
This would be incredible to have all across the United States and I think it will be a part of the natural progression towards a better future for the
United States allowing for easier access to high speed internet for all members of society no matter their social status.
If the internet rate I would have to pay is more than the internet fee I am paying for, then I am not in support of public broadband.
Many apartment companies provide internet included in rent or at a reduced cost. The cost of implementing this would vastly outweigh the benefits.
WiFi is provided on campus, and much of the traffic is student work related. Off campus things like live streaming video games and streaming video
entertainment will compete for network resources.
I worry about the cost that it could bring to the area and many buildings already have free wi-fi, so did doesn't seem like a problem that needs solving.
The University itself also already has free wi-fi that is available to everyone.
Don't tread on me.
It might be more relatable/useful if you reference how Cedar Falls does this too
I would be interested in this service if the internet access was: 1. better or equal in quality ( i.e. speed, duration, coverage)to what I currently have 2.
and equal or less costly then what I currently have 3. I assume the broad access means that I would always have wifi access where ever I go in Iowa
City. If that is not the case then no.
This is such a good idea!
I need more information to make a definite decision, I like the idea of competition between different ISP's because I know some people can only get
access to a single service provider and feel stuck with high payments or poor quality.
I would support it being an option, but I would not personally be willing to pay $50+ a month for this.
There needs to be more options for internet. Where I am located there are only two, making it more expensive as one provider has a monopoly of my
area. I would welcome more providers for the area
Fuck Mediacom, we need to classify Internet as a Utility and have a business model on it such as Cedar Falls Utilites.
This is a great idea - thanks for exploring it as an option
I would need to know more about the implementation before I could choose yes or no.
I do not support public broadband. I believe this would be detrimental to the market and eliminate incentive for isp's to provide better service, for
better prices.
I'm much more a proponent of privatization of utilities than public utilities. I love the fact that CenturyLink exists and competes with MediaCom, and
that North Liberty has a fiber network that we can all covet / hope to have someday. The competition is vital to our economy and I highly recommend
that we use excess funds to facilitate establishing new competitors or to help build new shared infrastructure, rather than to create new public utilities
and eliminate the others. I would also discourage the public utility because CenturyLink and MediaCom are probably both seeing a huge loss in phone
and television customer base due to cell phone and internet use, and removing the internet component from their packages/offerings could
effectively eliminate them from the Johnson County market (and potentially draw lawsuits?). I admit I'm not super informed, but at a glance I do not
support this idea.
Option cheaper than $70 would be better still. Currently pay $88/month for much slower internet (off contract).
Why would I want to pay the government for something I can buy from a internet service provider?
The Tennessee costs seem pretty pricey, and I would be concerned about someone hacking into my phone using the public Wi-Fi. Since Wi-Fi is
provided on campus, in many stores/restaurants, and at my apartment, I don't think I would purchase Wi-Fi from the city. This would also encourage
people to be on their phones while driving in the city as they wouldn't have to use mobile data if they had city Wi-Fi.
The cost of $70 per month on the prior page is too high. I pay less than half of that now and see no reason to pay more when i already have many
expenses.
If it works well, I think it’s a great idea to have broadband go public.
If this is literally seizing the memes, count me in
My hometown has a utilities and internet provider, and I have been very dissatisfied after switching to Mediacom when moving here. I fully support
this.
Wifi is free at my apartment building and also free through the university, so I would not want to have to pay extra for it since it's already included.
I think public broadband is a great idea. Currently there are so few providers that there is basically no competition, which means no incentive to
provide quality service at competitive prices. The main providers for most off-campus housing, CenturyLink and Mediacom, are both bad and
expensive.
Last year I was with CenturyLink and whenever Mediacom went down or the University network went down, CenturyLink was still working. I think with
public utility broadband, it would be much easier to set up than with Mediacom or CenturyLink. I think the best option would be to try the public utility
broadband as an option, while still letting other companies like Mediacom be an option as well.
Questions I need answered to turn my maybe into a definitive answer. 1. Would citizens be required to pay for the utility, or could one opt out of
payment and use? 2. What would be the internt speeds? 3. How much would packages cost? 4. Would private internet providers be legally prevented
from providing concurrent service? 5. Would the city throttle speeds depending on content accessed? 6. Could the city censor content from being
viewed as the internet provider? 7. Would the city record information about the data usage, sites visited, and personal information about users? 8. If
the city retained that data, what showing by law enforcement would be necessary for the city to turn electronic data over to police? 9. Would that data
be shared similarly with federal law enforcement as it would be with state/local police?
i am moving into an apartment next year so i would support this
I would support this if it was cheaper. $58-70 is a bit too pricey.
Please do this.
I marked that I would consider switching to the public broadband internet. However, I want to emphasize that I would only make this switch if the
internet was of better quality (the bar is set pretty low, I'd just like something reliable.)
I put my comment in the 'Other' blank of the previous page not knowing there was more to this questionnaire.
This would be beneficial if it can be done at a competitive price. I would also like to see net neutrality rules as part of the public broadband.
This is an expensive service on top of what I would be paying for my personal internet usage
should def be public
I live on campus so even though my internet habits would not change immediately, I would be very supportive of such actions. I have tried to stay
informed about recent actions regarding internet access and net neutrality. I know that I may live off campus at some point in my 4 years and knowing
that such an option would be available to me would be very comforting.
sounds like a good idea if implemented as a supplement/alternative to private internet providers and not a replacement -- if mandatory seems like it'd
be too pricey, esp on top on rent utility packages etc
Currently the internet service in my neighborhood is through CenturyLink, where I pay about the same as what the city would be offering, but at a
parsley 7mbps download speeds. So yes, I would be more than willing to get it though the city than through a company.
Do it. The cost of internet in this region is insane compared with europe and areas with municipal broadband. I pay 84$ per month for spotty service at
100mbps that very rarely makes it above 50mbps.
I support this as long as it isn’t more expensive than having the same service through a private provider.
I think this is a wonderful idea. I hate dealing with my current provider, Mediacom and this new implementation would save a lot of time/stress. I am
concered with the rental properties that have a "deal" with a current provider though. For example, this fall, the company I am renting from has a 'deal'
set up with Mediacom and when we move in, we will just have to upgrade to the next package and only pay the difference. STILL THIS IS AN AMAZING
IDEA AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE CHANGE IN THE IOWA CITY COMMUNITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please do this! I'm sick of being a slave to the internet companies who monopolize the markets! We need more options.
Great idea. Mediacom is okay but goes down at a minimum once a week. Those speeds are better than I think we get with Mediacom anyways and
internet is so common now that a public broadband isn't a bad idea for a college city like this.
I moved to Iowa City from Chattanooga, TN to attend graduate school. I was a resident there for 20 years, and saw firsthand the effect of
implementing fiber integration with the city's electric grid. I would note that the integration of the data and electricity infrastructure allowed much
better monitoring and utilization of the electric grid's power distribution, which adds significant value to the investment. That added value resulted in
lower cost of internet to the residents. If Iowa City can similarly acquire secondary value from integration (perhaps through integrating with the water
utility), it could allow for more competitive pricing and a higher likelihood of success.
mediacom really sucks but there are not many options available.
This needs to be a thing. I would love to have WiFi wherever I go, not having to worry about connecting to different routers when I travel around the
city. My only concern would be security breaches and having privacy.
Please don’t do the pay to play thing, everyone should have access to internet. Stopping a persons flow because of money is unethical.
I think this is a wonderful idea; reliable, affordable high-speed internet access has become a necessity in today's world. Due to the lack of competition
with for-profit providers, the cost for high-speed internet has ballooned without substantial increases in speed and access has been curtailed by
onerous data caps. The rate of increase in pricing is not likely decrease, as revenue from cable subscriptions continues to decline and the use of
streaming services continues to grow. I would like to see broadband internet service provided by the city, similar to how water, sewer, recycling, and
refuse services are provided currently.
$20 per month no contract for just even 15mb, 25 mb just for classes and school. Stop having a ridiculous amount for an absorbent price tag. Reliable
and cheap = college students happy
Why would we want internet as a public utility so the government can control another aspect of our lives? Give the freedom of choice to the customers
to find the fastest provider and let the free market and capitalism work. Let the internet providers have competition with each other to give the
customers the best deal! Don’t make it another public utility that the government will have control over.
I am not certain, but my apartment complex might require me to use their internet provider, which is a problem.
Price is always good information, but if the service is cheap and terrible quality, I would rather pay more than have terrible quality.
I would 100% back this and hope it comes to fruition.
The rates that are listed for Chattanooga are significantly higher than what my current rate is. It seems contrary to affordability to enact a process
that is more expensive at the beginning for students.
I would be more than willing to switch to public internet if the city were able to show that the speeds payed for were the speeds being delivered. Right
now the private ISPs are absolutely terrible at this so it shouldn't really be that difficult to show improvement over the current system.
I have nothing but support for internet being treated as a utility rather than a luxury. Internet is a necessity for many people and should be treated as
such. I have nothing against Mediacom (yet) but I have heard nothing but horror stories about their customer service and general business practices.
The introduction of competition in any business is always a good thing for the consumers and I think that enough people have had a poor experience
with the current providers that a municipal utility internet service has a very good chance of success.
Decreasing cost, it would have to be cheaper than mediacom
I would support and switch to the use of Iowa City broadband even if it meant paying higher costs as long as those costs were transparent and the
service was reliable due to my extreme dissatisfaction with Mediacom and its practices.
The lack of competition between internet providers off campus (we really only have century link and mediacom to choose between) allows them to get
away with offering subpar service with terrible terms, such as a $250 early cancellation fee, absurd price hikes after more than one year of service,
etc...
Mediacom is decent but they are expensive.
n/a
This is something that I think is coming to all cities in time, and UI could help Iowa City pave the way toward being pioneers in this. Mediacom
essentially has a monopoly in IC for high speed internet 100mbps and above, but they charge far too much and it is the worst paid for service I've ever
experienced.
I think the idea of a broadband network is great for Iowa City. Im sure many students would appreciate the internet access. Many already pay for
internet per month as it would not be any more expensive.
This is a wonderful idea!
I would only support this is the costs were *substantially* less than I pay for internet now. I would be concerned about inconsistent connectivity issues
that might be out of my power to resolve and would leave me without internet.
It's really slow currently, and i sometimes have to use my phone's lte to supplement the lagging speeds. But I'd have to see how much it would cost
me, a lot of students are low on cash. Also, I use eduroam on campus, and its pretty decent in speed except for nights. Mediacom is awful though.
I have many friends that live in off-campus apartments and have horrible experiences with their internet. It's very expensive and it doesn't work or is
incredibly slow. I know my network would greatly benefit from this. Thanks for all your hard work!!
I think this would slow down the internet for everyone and overall leave everyone dissatisfied. Also this would open the door to the government being
able to control the internet usage/access.
I'd support it assuming there would be no additional costs on taxpayers who choose not to utilize the service. However, I'm assuming it would at least
be partially subsidized by municipal taxes.
Public internet will greatly increase city government corruption and bureaucracy as it has in my hometown.
I'd support if it was not mandated for everyone and if downtown Internet in ped mall becomes a paid service, instead of being free.
The coverage from the University’s Wifi is substantial enough to cover most of the downtown area, being a student you benefit a lot more from this.
Also many coffee shops already have implemented free wifi services.
I am for it so it makes Mediacom up their game
This is an amazing idea. Broadband internet should be a public service, and contributes to the ability of all people to live productive lives, and stay
informed and engaged.
I think I would support this because it is cheaper than my current plan and not trying to force me into a bundle (include telephone or cable).
Cedar Falls, where I grew up, offers public broadband through Cedar Falls Utilities. The service was great and the price was much more fair than the
explicitly for-profit alternative provider, Mediacom. Having a similar service in Iowa City would be fantastic for when I live off-campus next year.
I would only use this public service if it was shown to be just as good or possibly even better than the private side of things. The main problem I can
see arising is the internet provided by the city would quickly grow slow and outdated by the fact that a public utility does not face any motivation from
competition to improve its service. But, given that it was good and continued to develop, high speed internet should be provided and offered as a
public utility.
I think providing internet as a public utility is a great idea, internet prices have been controlled by monopolies for far too long, and at much too high a
price, this would help alleviate some of the pressure these companies exude.
I'm for it as long as it is a good deal compared to private internet
Do it!
I also think improving the eduroam on campus would simply be better. I work in the Graduate College and frequently I cannot even connect...perhaps
instead of a plan people pay for, just work on improving the wifi we already have.
I'm concerned with the implications of constant exposure to electromagnetic frequency. As it is right now there are close by spaces to avoid this EMF
but its implementation may reduce those free spaces.
Providing a public option would increase the competition in the area, incentivizing private providers to drop their prices.
Even within Iowa City internet service providers do not have the same quality of service and the cost does not reflect how good or horrible your
internet will be. It needs to be regulated in some way.
Honestly it would depend on the price and the quality of the internet. Right now I'm content with my internet service; it's a reliable internet connection
for less than $50 a month. If the city wide internet is a poor quality (especially if enough people are using it at once to bog down the system) and I have
to pay more for it than what I do now then I wouldn't be interested in it. However, if there's a way to fix these concerns then I would be interested
supporting internet as a utility.
This would not make internet any cheaper. I can get one year of internet for $30 each month. Then I switch apartments and get another year for $30
per month. So I would never use public broadband.
Student organization is misspelled. This is a great alternative to corporate broadband if you can make it happen!
It would depend most on the cost for me. If it would cost more than my current internet does, then I would not want this. It would also depend on
reliability, and whether or not there is a chance that the internet would stop working for some reason.
I would like to see the rates/quality and am curious to see who will be responsible for maintaining the public broadband network to ensure reliable
service, especially in outages or weather emergencies.
Fuck Mediacom
It is more expensive than an internet plan at home and people already pay for data usage on phones.
Internet through private companies is a racket. Their data charges are unnecessary and a money grab.
Having public wifi access will support both University of Iowa students and Iowa City entrepreneurs as the current internet providers do not provide
adequate speeds at an affordable price.
Every person with a cell phone has data associated with it. It can be hot-spotted to any computer. Having free wifi to the entire city is not needed, but
rather an unnecessary cost to individuals.
The government should not be involved in the private sector of business.
I’m worried about privacy if the city has access to all my internet use
Unnecessary eduroam provides this ability for students. people already have lots of data from smartphones plans
Mediacom is garbage
I would like a public option that is affordable and provides access to the internet to everyone without having to worry about finances
The unreliability of Mediacom as an ISP is why I would support this initiative.
We pay for the premium internet service mediacom offers. Not only does it actually perform worse than their lowest service but at least 2-3 times a
week it doesn't work at all. There is no real competition so there is no motivation for mediacom to offer any decent service. If this bill does not pass, I
have to assume that means mediacom/other big telecom paid off council members.
Please please PLEASE! Mediacom is so unpleasant to work with. They treat students very poorly because they feel they can get away with anything
since we aren't full on "adults". They are miserable and exhausting. Our internet goes out several times a day. This would be a wonderful service to
implement.
How would it affect University internet and tuition prices?
Eduroam sounded fair to be, but I wonder if I really would be using it in downtown area
Internet is absolutely necessary for modern life and should be treated like the utility it is.
I think the city could provide a public Internet service, just like eduroam on campus.
This is a great idea please make the intent public.
Publicly-owned utilities are a great benefit to the community because the money spent on these services mostly remain within the community, offer
highly localized jobs and support, and prevent the corporatization of all our goods and services.
This is a great idea.
PLEASE do this. The local internet providers offer slow, shitty service, and I think the frustration of dealing with them is a huge source of stress for like,
thousands of students when they move every August
Mediacom is terrible, so assuming the service and quality would be much greater, I would switch in a heartbeat!
I would support the initiative conditionally, based on the cost.
MEDICOM AND CENTURYLINK SUCK!!! Please give us some other alternative besides these two!!!!!
The speeds I get from Mediacom are super inconsistent.
I currently pay $40/month and would not be willing to pay much more for internet service.
I think it is a great idea that Iowa City is considering doing this. In my experience ISPs gouge customers in exchange for disappointing service. I hope
Iowa City goes through with this.
I can pay for a public plan for less than $58/month that is the speed I prefer. I would rather pay for my own wireless than see an increase in my taxes
that I can't control.
Our country has made certain, critical services, services which are required for the daily life, public utilities (water, power*) and assumed varying level
of control over these services. This control is to prevent abuse, and ensure equal access to all. Five years ago I would not have classified an internet
connection as a service requiring any such oversight, however it has become integral in basic life. The easiest and most relatable example is applying
for jobs. A good number of businesses no longer accept paper applications, requiring applicants to go through some process only available online. Now
without an internet connection you are locked out of participating in parts of our economy. As such an internet connection is a requirement by the
constructs of our society. Cities creating municipal broadband is the easiest way to guarantee the fairness and availability required by this utility. We
can hope that companies see this competition and respond appropriately, but until such a time the gap must be filled. *Power generation, distribution,
and pricing is highly regulated, but generated by private companies. However in most states all homes must be connected to the electrical grid.
If the city were able to implement this without raising taxes too much, it could become a viable alternative to mediacom and century link, both which
provide average service at best. Issuing municipal bonds to fund the project would work if enough people were interested.
How many fucking homeless people do we have in Iowa City? How many students can't afford to buy a $3 carton of eggs at one of the overpriced
downtown grocery stores? Come on, there are bigger fish to fry here. Give me a break.
I am for it depending on what it will cost the taxpayer, it seems like the internet here is pretty good anyways.
I would switch to a city plan, if the plan cost less than private internet providers and if it were as fast as private internet providers.
I think that offering it as a public utility would remove the competition that helps keep rates from going too high. If the city were to offer it, it would
allow them to control and increase the costs for everyone in the city. I do not support this.
Prices continue increasing with limited competition to the internet providers. This would be a good way to provide good internet while also allowing
the overall prices to perhaps come down.
It depends on how good the connection is I think
The example prices listed are more than Mediacom costs. If the cost doesn't decrease relative to the free market offering then I doubt there will be
any interest. In the example given you should've also provided the price prior to Chattanooga, TN implementing public for comparison.
I would pay for faster internet if my rent was reduced. Currently my rent includes internet. While I'm not completely satisfied with my internet service,
I cannot afford an additional $50-100 charge per month.
$58 a month is expensive for WiFi. If rates could be somehow reduced (businesses would have to pay more and general civilians would pay less, for
example), then I think this would actually work. Getting rid of Mediacom would be great!
As long as there are multiple options for internet, I would be open to public broadband infrastructure. It depends on the cost/increase in cost versus
the actual increase in quality.
I do not support this, because it does not support competition between businesses, which would like to go out of business in this specific Iowa City
area due to this implementation. My rates are also currently cheaper than that so I would not like to take part in this because it does not benefit me
specifically. Also, if it becomes my only source that provides internet, likely the price would go up over time, whereas I am currently at a guaranteed
locked rate with my internet provider.
It is still more cost effective and secure to have your own internet, not a public connection.
In my experience living in several different cities the internet providers in Iowa City are terrible. Despite the knowledge that it is a college town, when
moving providers can take months after the requested date (~ Aug 1st) to set up internet.This is the only city i have ever experienced such a ridicules
lag. There is absolutely no need for this if the internet providers properly staffed their companies but lack of competition allows them to slack off as
and maintain a monopoly on the market. Competition would drive down the price as well as provide incentive for better service.
Right now I pay $8 of my hard-earned money a month for my internet. I DO NOT want to have to pay $50+ to provide internet for people who do not
work for it. I understand that internet is a vital part of our society, however, there are many places people can have access to the internet for free, such
as public libraries, or anywhere within the few blocks that complete the ped mall. My tax dollars already pay for many, many services for other people
who chose not to work, because they make more money off the government by not having a job.
I would definitely support city-provided internet if the price and quality were comparable, or better than, my current internet provider, but without
more specific details it is hard to say how I would feel about such an option.
Internet as a public utility would diversify the current ISP monopoly, not to mention provide an affordable option for more of our community. We
currently pay $80 for 100 mb Internet, which is reliable most of the time. We would definitely entertain a cheaper option from a different provider.
Here, we have few options either Century link or Medicom, it would be better if we have others ehich help us to get a better service at lower rate.
What is the radius? All of Iowa City?
WiFi should be free, as we pay so much for everything else needed for school
I think this is a fantastic idea and I 100% support it. I currently live within Iowa City but, as my area is semi-developing, I am stuck with few options, of
which offer far below the connection speed I need at an absorbent premium. I currently negotiated my plan of 7 mb/s DOWN to $30...which is still
grossly out of pace with the market. Due to my area within the Iowa City limits and the few options available, this is the best I can do at the moment. I
love the idea of Iowa city Public Broadband.
Present internet options in the area frequently require bundles with phone and tv increasing costs as well as trying to lock you into purposefully
deceitful contracts for multiple years while not guaranteeing the service. I have used both Mediacom and Century Link and experienced numerous
problems with both. Offering internet at cost through a public utility could be ideal, but plans would need to be thoroughly vetted. There are numerous
scenarios in which an anti-competitive market could be created by restricting offerings. Perhaps a more ideal solution could also be to pass an
ordinance requiring present companies to offer internet as a public service at cost or to do away with deceptive marketing and contract practices.
Public broadband would be good for every member of the community. Having another legitimate broadband option besides media on would provide
competition.
As long as this internet would be equally available, with equal reliability throughout the range of coverage, with a reasonable and well justified price, it
would be a good idea.
The rationale for doing so was not provided. Therefore, I will not support a change in light of the limited information provided. In fact, I’m left with a
number of questions. Who benefits from doing so? And to what degree? What are the short and long term benefits and goals? Among many others.
I pay much less that $70 now and my WiFi is totally fine. How would this work with roommates is it $70 a person or can that be split like it can be now
I currently pay just $23/mo for centurylink; however, speeds are limited to 7Mbs/1Mbs in my area. I would definitely pay ~$50 for gigabit internet and
*may* pay more or less depending on speed. It could be a tough decision if the price is significantly more than what I already pay.
I’m not exactly sure what the public utility thing means. As long as I get better service for the same if not cheaper price, that’s what I support.
This is an amazing idea, but an uphill battle. Mediacom and CenturyLink have been providing sub-par, over-priced internet to our residents for years
now. This is a college town where 90% of upperclassmen live off campus and have to deal with slow internet speeds for classes that require internet
connections just to turn in assignments. I have had friends tell me they didn't have working internet for months into the school year due to negligence
from both of these companies, and have had to deal with them myself. Even when the internet does work, Iowa Ccity residents are lucky to get
20mbps for $50, let alone 100. When on campus, with eduroam, and off campus, with mediacom or CenturyLink, the difference in internet speed is
exceptionally noticable. The internet is nearly as essential as water or electricity these days, and it only makes sense for the city to offer broadband
internet for affordable prices to its citizens. There is no downside to doing this.
How much would this cost the city and would it require any new taxes?
Treating the internet as a utility is going to happen in the future, it would be good for Iowa City and the surrounding areas to get ahead of this.
I would need to know the benefits of having internet as a public utility. It should be optional and not required of all residents. How would apartments
pay for it versus tenants, and how would that affect low income tenants.
My only concern would be the ability to maintain a city wide network. If you have a lot of people on one network what will that do to the quality?
Finally, I think that we currently pay way too much for internet, I would be very happy if there were a mediation force in the market that would split
pressure on big companies to reconsider their pricing.
I would be in favor of this if there were measures in place to ensure continued improvements on the internet service and customer service was quick
and efficient.
I need more information to be able to know if I think it's a good idea or not.
Full disclosure, I will be graduating and moving before this could possibly be implemented.
I would support it more if I knew the service I would get. Mediacom for example has terrible service and aren't helpful. Right now I pay for
150Megapixels a second and most the time I am lucky to get 100 even after the router was upgraded to be one of the best possible. Mediacom does
not have great customer service, and I would hate to not have a choice even though there isn't much choices to begin with.
Mediacom has completely cornered the market in Iowa City with their cheap rates and poor performance that they sell to landlords that have primarily
college-aged tenants. It's absolutely ridiculous--I can't think of the last time my Internet reliably worked at home when I need to get things done for
classes. I either have to go on campus to connect to eduroam, or connect my computer to my personal cell phone's mobile hotspot to even access
ICON. A public option would be much more practical for my needs, and it's something that I'd certainly make space for in my budget.
Internet is a basic human right in the modern world and as such, should be treated as a public utility.
i really think iowa city could use some better internet. I am tired of mediacom grabbing us by the balls with their high rates and effectively squeezing
them with their speeds that end up being slower than advertised. They are getting away with it because they are the only reasonable ISP in the area
and I think it is time for someone else to step in.
The price seems a little high (centurylink was down to $30/month), but if it becomes a public good that everybody has access to, then I would support
it.
I would be really happy if there was a public broadband service offerred. I am highly satisfied with my ISP, therefore I would not switch to another
provider, but I also know that my ISP is not available to anyone in Iowa city or Coralville. If my current ISP was Mediacom, as is the case for most Iowa
City residents that I know, then I would switch companies in a heartbeat.
I live in Coralville - would this apply only to Iowa City proper, or would the service be extended to the greater IC area?
Mediacom has a monopoly on internet in Iowa City and their service is terrible. This would be an ideal plan.
I live at hawks ridge and the cost of out internet is added to our monthly rent but I would still love to see iowa city implement a public broad band.
Great idea!
As long as people have the option to opt out this is okay. I currently only pay $29 a month for internet. I fear this higher price for city internet may raise
competitive prices as well and I won't be able to afford internet service.
I think you may find that non-students in the Iowa City area may also be very interested in this option. I would encourage Student Government to allow
this survey to be completed by non-students as well!
I would consider supporting the public broadband service depending on the same factors I consider in selecting a private internet provider. These
include: available speeds, reliability, availability of tech support for troubleshooting, availability of cable tv service and/or deals.
OMG please do this. It would be awesome, and cost efficient for everyone.
While this is in essence a good idea, the greatest concern will of course be security. Creating a single network capable of reaching across the city
would become an potential target for hackers. Just something to consider. Talk to other cities to see how they deal with their security.
This is a great idea! This is super exciting!
If the city broadband allows for a healthy competitive marketplace without giving the city extra rights. No tax dollars should be used to undercut
private market.
As long as I have lived in the Iowa City area, I have had to have Mediacom as a high-speed internet option (no other options available at my residence).
The cost has continually increased, and the service and consistently become worse. I think it is extremely important for Iowa City residents to have
another option for internet!
I approve of this switch because it would mean a more reliable source of internet when I move off campus which is imperative to be able to complete
assignments.
1. Mediacom service is ripoff. They also pressure one to "bundle" -- which is completely irrelevant to people who don't own a television and are already
on a family phone plan, for example. The cost does not match the service at all. 2. CenturyLink is a criminal organization that defrauds customers. 3. A
public ISP is a good idea, but remember that the City of Iowa City is trash. They would find a way to overcharge, fail to provide customer service, and
[fudge] everything up. Find a way to have independent oversight.
I am a non-traditional student living in Iowa City long-term. I would love to have internet in Iowa City as a public utility.
I'd like to see this subsidized/offered at no cost to families at or below double the poverty line.
My support would depend if one would still have the option of staying with their private provider if it was less expensive or better.
I have been consistently disappointed with the quality of Mediacom's customer service. One time, they misplaced my monthly payment and I was not
informed of it until I realized they charged me double for a later month. In addition, I was told misleading information about how to change my account
settings and was not mailed the paper bill to set up my online account until I badgered them multiple times about it. The mailing address I gave them
was incorrectly written on the envelope. One time, when the internet was down, they told me that it was due to maintenance work elsewhere, even
though I was given no notice of such beforehand. I feel like I am overpaying for their internet service.
This is silly. Government should not be providing internet.
I think this would be a great idea, if only to provide further competition against Mediacom and CenturyLink so that residents get the best service at an
affordable price.
In the fall semester, I will be living off-campus and would be very interested in this service.
I think that in order to make a decision about this myself and the public need to be more educated on the subject, its implications and alternatives.
Standardized rates for internet plans just makes sense, if city-sponsored internet proves to be a reliable and reasonably priced service. There is not
enough competition among private internet providers in any given region, which causes customers to be pigeonholed into buying into one service that
they would not otherwise consider due to bad service and unfair rates. For example, my only option for an internet provider that offers a 1 gigabit plan
is Mediacom. It took an entire year of constantly spotty connection (not due to local problems, every time the internet had issues for me,
downdetector.com showed large volumes of reported outages throughout the midwest) before we stopped having problems. I assume Mediacom
could do whatever it wanted because it was the only option for many of its customers, and did not make remedying this problem a priority as a result.
I'm not sure there's a need for public broadband. The internet needs appear to be taken care of quite well by the status quo.
Consider personal security.
I do not want to pay $58 or $70 monthly for internet. This is way too overpriced, and better prices can be found very easily. If the cost was better, I
would be interested.
Internet access is a right.
I love by Lucas elementary so I'm not sure if the broad band would be available to me there. I'd hate to have my student fees increased for internet I
can't access. I like mediacom but they are sooo expensive.
what are the privacy concerns re: city-wide Internet? the recent fight AGAINST net neutrality makes this question more important than perhaps ever.
a lot of graduate students do work in areas that leave them open to potential threat models of surveillance. any agreement with the city to provide a
municipal broadband service must be approached with the protection of our privacy and our freedoms as a necessary concern.
In my opinion, treating internet as a utility is only beneficial if the cost is lower. I wouldn't switch if it became more expensive.
I am strongly in support of city-wide broadband. Cities need to take the lead on providing this crucial public good, since the federal and state
government have not taken much initiative.
The only thing I support more than broadband internet as a public utility is banning guns, and I really, really want to ban guns. This is a close second.
This would be so much better than Mediacom!!
Why would you have to live on campus to access the public broadband? Wouldn't it be a utility like Water, available to all residents?
This would be a great opportunity especially if Fiberoptic internet was an option
A well implemented city-wide broadband service would help to standardize high-speed internet, provide dramatic competition to current providers,
and overall drive down prices while improving service and internet/ethernet-specific infrastructure.
While I would like to see some healthy competition come into Iowa City to help break up the essential monopoly CenturyLink and Mediacom have, I'm
not sure this is the answer. I cannot speak for everyone, but the example of $58 per month is actually more than what I pay right now for internet.
I'm all for it as long as service is consistent and responsive (i.e. few outage issues, if outage occurs, quickly addressed, etc.)
Providing only these two tiers of internet would prevent students with financial issues from accessing internet and low rates with slower speeds.
additionally who would be responsible for this infrastructure, including cost to install, maintain, expand and most importantly provide a secure safe
internet system. We would be asking a government who can't even take care of removing snow from streets to deploy and maintain a multi billion
dollar infrastructure. Iowa City needs to instead provide incentives for other private companies that provide similar resources, this will provide new
jobs, technical training to those in the area. Additionally, for those not using the service they will not be taxed for the deployment of the system. I think
UISG has more important issues to be focusing on other then internet in the city as there is already an established market with big players involved.
Does it cost the community or UI students personally to implement this idea? Has there already been many requests for such a service? Don't most
people just use some form of 3G anyway?
This is a proposal that would benefit all Iowa City residents and attract business to the area. Win-win. Any City Counsel Person who voted for this plan
would have my vote for life, and I am a lifelong IC resident, a voter, as well as a student.
Please
I think the example prices are expensive. I would want to know the difference in internet speed pricing. Also, does this slowdown cheaper service
options? Have the consequences been identified and have unintentional consequences been explored?
Public wifi is highly susceptible to hacking and knowing the high schoolers and “kids” of this community, it’s gonna happen more than once, just be
ready for the wackos.
I strongly support this, I think applying pressure to local ISPs by adding more competition will benefit everyone!
Most rented apartments come with free WiFi. Some are better than others. Depending on the quality of the free WiFi I received would determine if I
were willing to pay for the better internet.
Is there anything else I can do to support this? I am hugely interested in this option. Iowa City deserves better high-speed internet as an international
literary city. Please make this happen!
Not enough information about this change would impact the public was provided in this service. Would this cost the city inhabitants anything? Would
people living off campus have access to the service as well? If the internet goes out or has issues, how long will it take for a city employee to be
notified and come out to fix the router?
If this were to be implemented I would want the rates to be lower than I’m currently paying. I’m paying about $60/month currently, so I wouldn’t want
to pay more. Also I’d have to be guaranteed that service would be reliable and fast. No slow downs during busy times or unable to connect if too many
people using it.
Google Fiber, notice me
With a new service provider the biggest concern I would have is reliability and stability. Frequent or even infrequent outages would not make switching
a compelling option, even if the new provider has lower $/bandwidth.
Internet is apart of rent, so if it were dropped from rent, then yes, I would be down. It would also have to be consistent (or at least more consistent than
current providers)
I believe internet access is a right and I would support going even further than municipal access to guarantee all citizens of Iowa city free, unlimited
access to high quality internet.
Mediacom charges an extra $10 per ten gigs over used so often my "$36" bill turns out to be $60.
Wasted government money being used to compete with private businesses. What is next, government owned gas stations? Government owned
grocery stores?
The prices are more expensive then what we already pay. Would the city be able to guarantee fast service? Otherwise we would be paying more to get
internet that works more or less the same. Also would people have the option to still get internet through media com, centurylink, etc?
I cannot switch because internet is provided by my apartment complex.
I feel like this will help bring keep Iowa City near the forefront of modern infrastructure design.
I am happy with my current internet provider (and it is built into the cost of my apartment), but I do think that it is important for internet to be provided
as a utility for people who don't have another convenient option.
Depends on the service provided. Sometimes, downtown, it's very hard to pick up a signal.
Price must be competitive with current Mediacom service, and the Iowa City service must be superior in quality, connectivity, and support for me to
buy into this plan. Currently, Mediacom is a pretty crappy service: it often has very poor connectivity, cannot support multiple users, has very limited
reach away from the room where the router is located, and they have a slow response time when we are having problems. If Iowa City can provide a
better service for a cheaper cost, I would be all for it, but it must still be competitive without monopolizing the market. Consumers should still have a
choice of internet provider.
I would respond if I could be assured the service would meet or exceed what I currently have and could be assured that the prices wouldn't increase on
a monthly basis like Mediacom.
I like this idea, however internet and cable come included for many students in their rent. This means that although I would like to switch, I am already
paying for media com internet through my rent and am not sure how easy it would be to switch service.
I hugely support internet as a public utility and think this is a great idea!
Internet as a utility service by the city would be amazing. Mediacom is the absolute worst.
Would this replace traditional personal/home bought internet service? Is this a secure network or more like traditional public internet that is offered as
guest services at local cafes/restaurants/stores? More information would be needed to make an informed decision
I would model it after Cedar Falls Iowa. CFU internet was great while I lived there.
It would depend on what the actual cost would be for Iowa City. Right now I get what I need in terms of speed for $40 a month (not including taxes and
modem rental). I don't need very much in terms of speed so I'm able to do the lowest amount but if having it as a utility would be higher to encompass
the average user, which usually needs more speed, then I don't want to be penalized. Making it broadband also creates for a monopoly, which is the
worst thing that can happen for a consumer. There are only 2-3 internet options in IC but at lease there's some control.
What I really would like to see is more competition in service providers. Mediacom can charge whatever they want because they know people have to
pay it. I would love to see the city try to combat this and offer a quality local service.
YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO IT!
It would depend on a variety of things I would say. Is it the city that controls the broadband internet? Also, would the city be willing to provide more
options depending on city need? And would investing in something like fiber optic cables more practical? Just a few thoughts :)
None
There are not currently enough high speed broadband options available in Iowa City. Mediacom is my only option if I want speed greater than 12 mbps,
which allows them to price gouge with impunity.
It sounds more expensive than internet providers are charging now.
One I will never pay for internet with so little data and that slow as you have proposed. The biggest issue is the cost you have outlines is 3 times the
cost of what I pay now and is 3 times slower.
I clicked on "yes", but for some reason it showed up as "maybe". I absolutely support the idea of Iowa City providing internet as a public utility.
I support public broadband with the stipulation of cost. If this decision would raise the overall cost for most citizens, I do not support it as cost can
easily become prohibitive when a public utility.
The monopoly of Mediacom in Iowa City needs to be broken. Other cities in Iowa such as Cedar Falls provide a public utility that includes cable and
internet with better service than companies such as Mediacom.
If a student really needs the internet then they should go to the library not demand it from the government. However, I do see how this government
intervention could benefit the subset of the public that is not affiliated with the University.
I don't live in Iowa City, so I likely would not want to pay double internet fees.
Would that be for unlimited internet? Because I pay about that now split between my roommates, but if I lived by myself it would be a higher cost
burden on me.
It might be more complicated for people livin in apartment complexes that provide internet. If the service offers lower prices for the property owners
that doesn’t necessarily help students as they wouldn’t pass the money saved down to tenants
Very much in favor!
With the repeal of net neutrality, what would prevent the city from making high speed lanes and slow speed lanes?
If public broadband could be implemented at or near the prices and speed suggested, I would fully support this. I do not want phone line or cable
service and I am constantly bombarded with calls trying to get me to sign up for these services, as well as steadily increasing price of internet every
year.
At a time when ISPs are seemingly unregulated and go unpunished for consumer protection violations it is important for competitors to join the
market. Unfortunately, high entry costs create barriers for new companies to break even on their initial investments in the market. To have a local
broadband set up would help create free market regulations against bad big ISP practices. I fully support this initiative.
Please make this happen! Mediacom is unreliable
I think it would be wise to figure out where the town of University Hights stands as a lot of my friends live in that area.
This type of service/business should be left to the private sector.
Having internet as a public utility would be a great way for Iowa City to stay innovative and bring a lot of jobs to IC in order to help set up the
infrastructure required for the project. Getting rid of the duopoly of Mediacom and CenturyLink would force them to become more competitive and
provide better services at a reasonable price if one decided not to have the public broadband. Overall, the implementation of public broadband in Iowa
City would benefit the citizens immensely
We spend $150 per month on our internet and we don't even have cable included.
I am currently very annoyed with Iowa City's internet options. They are overpriced and very slow for what is offered. I much preferred to use the
University's internet when I lived in the dorms, but since I now live off campus I cannot. I sometimes come to campus just to get better internet.
Sounds Great!! Public internet access is must!
I hail from Minnesota, and Minneapolis offers a public broadband option with wifi points across the city that have worked well I'm told.
I currently pay $60/month for 60MBS with Mediacom with a private internet service. If the price is lower with higher speed and security level, I will
definitely change the provider.
Providing public broadband is a huge incentive to live in the city. I know that one of the big things I look for in a place to live is excellent internet, and
public broadband is a huge plus in that category.
Cedar Falls does this and it worked great
I don't pay anything for internet
Depends on: (1) the cost; and (2) the cost's effect on other constituent, for whether I would support it. I doubt Chatanooga had those rates at the
beginning. Plus, some people have no need for that much internet. Even the lowest option you use as reference is $58/month for, presumably, only
internet. That would price low-income households out of the market, bnsent some sort of public subsidy. Basically, I understand that many students
have money to burn, but the City of Iowa city has more constiuents to care about besides a bunch of 18-22 year olds, and some number of older
graduate students. What even instigated this plan from UISG / the City? Are there not more important things to spend money on like reducing Iowa
City's ridiculously high homeless rate? How does doubling acceptable speeds currently, if not by 20x, for more money matter? Internet, while on
school property, is already super fast. This seems completely unnecessary.
I believe this would be a huge cost saver for many students. I currently spend 70$ a month for only 150/20 Mbs.
If you can provide something faster and more reliable than what I currently have, I would be thrilled to switch providers.
Do not use smiley faces in your surveys
Municipal broadband is the way to go!! Combine it with a renters union.
I would definitely switch to public broadband if it provides reliable speeds that are faster than my current internet plan.
I would prefer that private internet companies compete in Iowa City, and that the free market would decide the price of the service.
MEDIACOM IS THE WORST. BAN MEDIACOM FROM IOWA CITY.
I would switch if the customer service was better than mediacom and the WiFi worked well. But you’ll need to get apartment landlords to switch
58 bucks a month sounds like a lot. I also feel that there would not be total coverage in iowa city. also what about low income residents? some cannot
afford this, and if they are forced to pay for this service, that is an ethical issue
Depends on how the cost would compare to current internet providers, would it be per person or per household.
I would need to know more, especially about cost, because I pay $42 right now. And if I get better service I would pay more. But if it's the same service,
why would I want to pay more.
I think that public broadband would be a benefit to the entire city, helping to equalize the disproportionate advantage that students and families with
easily access to the internet have over others.
I would choose the cheapest option available given that speed and reliability were approximately equal
Whatever type of connection this public broadband would provide, I think that it is very important to bring more ISP's into the market and compete
against Mediacom and Century Link.
For the love of god free me from mediacom
Keep the government out of this, private sector will provide the best internet services.
This is a very good opportunity for stable and cost conscious internet access. Please do everything in your power to have this implemented.
Screw Mediacom
This is absolutely a step in the right direction to circumvent the overreach from ISP's. Nationalize the internet
How would the internet get split in the pipe? It would come in at 1gb/s but if it is open to the public, this would create a significant drag on speed.
An issue I have run into in the past is when living with many roommates the data allowance for Mediacom is kind of awful. All six of us are full time
students and need the internet to be at full speed all the time, but we did not want to upgrade to a higher plan because it was too expensive. There
needs to be a more affordable option for students that NEED internet access for their classes. It is too much of a hassle to always use the university
public wifi when I live 20 minutes away from campus.
My internet currently costs less than this. I do not want public internet.
I think public broadband would be fantastic. ISPs here have horrendous track records and are not customer-friendly.
In today's day and age the internet is not an extra, it is a necessity.
if public internet makes it cheaper and better then go for it, if not then dont
Public broadband is the logical move in telecommunication/digital services. I see no logical reason why public broadband should not be embraced.
I think this is a very good idea
Depends on the data allowance and reliability
Mediacom is running a monopoly and I am so frustrated. They increased by plan after the first year and when I brought it up they told me to f off
We would have less control and possibly privacy in a provided service.
The three biggest things for me personally are speed , reliability, and cost. If having the internet as a utility would maximize speeds and lower costs, I
would definitely look forward to using it when I'm off campus next year.
The cheaper price for accessible to the internet is the more improvement of daily living, the other countries internet price is cheaper than US, even
Iowa, such as China.
Considering how internet is almost a nescessity for everyday life, it should be considered a utility offered for everyone. The unreliability of local ISPs
truly are terrible.
I would support this if the internet service was actually reliable. For example, I'm currently paying for certain internet speeds with Mediacom. What
they don't tell you is that those speeds are shared with everyone else who lives in your neighborhood, so you're not actually getting the internet deal
you paid for. I'd be especially for this idea if it was fiber optic internet because speeds would actually be guaranteed that way. A price of $70 per month
is also higher than what companies like Mediacom are charging, so I would not be in favor of this if it was more expensive for a similar level of internet
speed and reliability.
I tried Century Link for two weeks and they were horrible and their customer service was horrible! Switched to Mediacom, been withem for about 2
years now and that's out of necessity. Sometimes the Internet cuts out, there were a few months where the Internet wouldn't work with Google
products (i.e Chrome, Youtube,...) and that was annoying as hell. A secure, highly reliable public Internet provider would be highly welcomed!
You haven't really given me enough information for me to determine what my thoughts are on this matter. Plus does my home address play a role/not
entitle me to an opinion -- I don't live within Iowa City city limits.
As long as the public internet is equal or better to mediacom speed (~5 mb/s on a good day and pretty spotty) I would rather give my money to the city
than a shitty internet company.
Prices would have to be on par with my current provider, which is approximately $35 per month.
ISPs have become predatory businesses. They recently decided that they would eliminate my tier and increase my payment $20 (to $80). They add
frivolous fees to increase their revenue, and even if I am paying for 100mb service, I never get more than 8mb. I would change in a heart beat.
I think broadband internet is more value for money at the rate you suggested.
This wouldn't be helpful for a majority of graduate students. All the grad students I know live in Coralville or North Liberty. And this seems a little
pricey for undergrads
Seems too expensive
The ISPs in Iowa City charge a high rate for bad service. Every night from about 10-12 I get constant lag/ping spikes. My download speed is capped
around 3 mb/s. I'm also using the top residential plan option. Broadband would almost certainly be a cheaper and more reliable option, and would force
the monopolized ISPs to actually provide competitive service.
I think if the rates would be guaranteed to remain constant, I would switch. The raising of rates is the most annoying aspect of telecommunication
companies.
End of Report
Showing Records: 1 - 350 Of 350
My current internet bill is less than the price that is currently estimated for the broadband internet, which is the primary reason for my hesitation
switching to a city-wide internet.
Cedar Falls does this, and it's fantastic. I've even thought about how great it would be if Iowa City did it, as I'm extremely unsatisfied with my internet
and provider.
Mediacom needs competition. But the internet to compete with it needs to be fast and reliable and cheaper.
NA
February 20, 2019
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints January 2019
1.)
Date: 01/07/19
Method of contact: Phone call to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
Resident said that when he started his Internet service a year or two ago, he was told on the phone that his
rate would not change. He reported that his bill had increased significantly and wanted to know why.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC contacted Mediacom’s Betty Hartman for information. Hartman said that there are no lock-in rates
available and that typically promotional pricing lasts for a specified duration, stepping up in cost each year
until it reaches the normal rate at the end of that duration.
Hartman said that the customer was still under a promotional rate and that his rate should have stepped up
last year, so he is receiving a promotional price for his service for an additional period.
It was concluded that the customer had received incorrect information.
Date of Resolution: 01/07/19
2.)
Date: 01/10/19
Method of contact: Phone calls to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
Two customers called to report that their cable TV service had gone out.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC contacted Mediacom’s Rick Karnes, who said that a fiber optic cable between Cedar Rapids and Iowa
City had been cut and that technicians were beginning the repair process. Karnes said the fiber count in the
cable that was cut was high, so it could take several hours to complete the repairs. Karnes reported at 2:45
a.m. the next morning to say that service had been restored.
Date of Resolution: 01/11/19
3.)
Date: 1/10/19
Method of contact: Email to MPSC
Issue/Comment Summary:
The owner of a local business located on the far southeast corner of Iowa City contacted the MPSC to ask
for suggestions on how to get Internet service, as CenturyLink claimed they were out of data in the area, and
Mediacom and ImOn reported they do not service the area.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC provided information regarding the current broadband landscape in Iowa City. MPSC mentioned that,
though expensive, sometimes businesses have been able to pay towards extension of a line from the
nearest part of a provider’s system. MPSC also suggested inquiring with ImOn again if it had been a while
since he last checked on service availability. MPSC also noted that there are some satellite-based Internet
providers that exist, though he did not have information on the quality and reliability of the service. One
service that was identified offered 25Mbps download speeds for all of its packages and charged based on
the amount of data used.
Date of Resolution: 01/11/19
January 24, 2019
To: Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator (MPSC)
Re: Cable Complaints December 2018
1.)
Date: 12/21/18
Method of contact: Phone call to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
A former Mediacom customer called the MPSC to describe a letter he had recently received from Mediacom
stating that a request for service had been made in his name, despite having recently cancelled his service a
month earlier in preparation for a move to another home where he would not be subscribing to service. The
resident was concerned that someone had attempted to establish service at his prior residence in his name.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC contacted Betty Hartman at the Iowa City Mediacom office. Hartman reported that the system did not
show any attempt to start services for the resident at any address. MPSC provided this information to the
resident.
Date of Resolution: 12/26/18
2.)
Date: 12/26/18
Method of contact: Email to MPSC
Complaint/Comment Summary:
An Iowa City Deputy Fire Chief emailed MPSC in an attempt to assist a resident with a CenturyLink phone line
used by her homeowner’s association to monitor fire alarm panels and report emergencies, saying that the line
was not operating properly and was causing an alarm to sound.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC forwarded the issue to Tab Byrd from CenturyLink, who reported that a technician resolved the issue and
that everything was working again.
Date of Resolution: 12/27/18
3.)
UPDATE on issue related to availability of CenturyLink service
This is a follow-up to an issue presented on September 25, 2018 (found in the Cable Complaints report dated
November 18, 2018) where a resident had been trying to determine whether CenturyLink service was available for
his residence since CenturyLink’s website showed that his neighbor had access to service while he did not.
Resolution Summary:
MPSC had passed the issue to CenturyLink’s Tab Byrd, who had the issue escalated further and later reported
that the issue had been resolved and that the resident could now apply for service on the CenturyLink website.
MPSC contacted the resident to let him know that service was available. The resident responded, saying that
although he was able to sign up for service, he was somewhat disappointed that the maximum speed offered to
homes on his street was 20mbps, while only one block north, the houses had access to 100mbps speeds. He
noted that CenturyLink had installed new fiber at a nearby intersection three years ago and he had hoped that
they would soon expand the increased potential speeds just one block south, to his street.
Date of Resolution: 12/26/2018
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Feb. 2019
The weather impacted our participation nevertheless we have seen an increase of interest with new
memberships, use of our studio and podcast room.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors meeting March 19th., at 7 pm.
Intro Workshop
NOTE: Guidelines Class is now called Membership Orientation - we are holding them twice a month
on Fridays and Saturdays - times, dates and sign-up are on our website under workshops - http://
patv.tv/workshops/. The next Orientation Classes will be on Friday March 8th @ 5pm and Saturday
March 23rd at 10:30 AM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Wednesday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Education Exchange
Joe’s Gaming Shack
GreenFire
The Lyle Harris Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 2/21/19
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Jan. 2019
This New Year has brought some new members and returning producers like Manny G of Latino
Hour, Education Exchange and Right On Tyme. We Are Iowa City profile of ESD Studios, Author Keith
Ruff, potter artist Allison and a taping of HomeBrew Happy Hour at The Makers Loft.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors meeting Feb 19th., at 7 pm.
Intro Workshop
Guidelines orientation is the first Thursday of every month, 6 pm at PATV or online @ www.patv.tv
Next Guidelines Class is on Feb. 7th. at 6 PM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Thursday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Education Exchange
Joe’s Gaming Shack
GreenFire
The Lyle Harris Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
HomeBrew Happy Hour
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 1/25/19
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
PATV Report to Iowa City Telecommunications Commission Dec. 2018
Gingerbread House building, guitars caroling and gift wrapping. Tom’s Guitar Show had his annual
Christmas Extravaganza and Producer Ricardo showed us how to build a Gingerbread House. Hello
It’s Us was also present in our studio as well as some local photographers. Staff produced a profile on
local artist JAYCE and a collaboration with ICAD/Merge produced a new serious about entrepreneurs
called Hanging with Dre.
PATV Board Meetings
PATV Board of Directors meeting Jan 14th., at 7 pm.
Intro Workshop
Guidelines orientation is the first Thursday of every month, 6 pm at PATV or online @ www.patv.tv
Next Guidelines Class is on Jan 3rd. at 6 PM.
Video Workshops Schedule
Studio Training – The second Tuesday of the month from 5 – 7 pm.
HD Camera – The third Thursday of the month from 6 –8 pm.
Digital Editing – The fourth Thursday of the month from 6 - 8 pm.
Current and upcoming staff supported productions
Joe’s Gaming Shack
GreenFire
The Lyle Harris Show
PATV Presents: Thursday Night Live at Uptown Bills
Tom’s Guitar Show
HomeBrew Happy Hour
Submitted by Gerardo Sandoval 12/13/18
206 Lafayette St. • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • Phone 338-7035
Fax 338-8456 • contact@patv.tv • http://www.patv.tv
The Library Channel
Report prepared for the Iowa City Telecommunications Commission monthly meeting by Beth Fisher, Program
Librarian and Bond Drager, Equipment Specialist. January 2019.
February 2019:
Children’s Programming:
• Storytime with a Goat!
• Book Babies Chinese New Year
• One Book Two Book Preschool Storytime with Book Characters
• Musical Preview – Regina presents The Little Mermaid
Adult Programming:
• Second Sunday Garden Forum: Storm Water Management with Sandy Steil
• DNA Interest Group: Introduction to Epigenetics
• Obermann Conversation: Disparities in Alcohol Treatment
Visit our Youtube Channel for live streams and archived programming:
www.youtube.com/user/thelibrarychannel
Monthly Program Update:
This month: February 2019 Next Month: March 2019
Live Children’s Programs • 3 • 3
Live Adult Programs • 3 • 4
Programs Cablecast • 593 •
Programs videotaped by
Govt. Channel/CTS
• •
Date: February 19, 2019
To: The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator, City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
Re: City of Iowa City Cable TV Office report for the February 2019 meeting
Media Production Services
Submitted by Jack Brooks, Special Projects Assistant, and Toni Ugolini, Media Production Assistant
Recent production activities:
●Produced weekly Iowa City Update programs. Topics included electric vehicle charging
stations in City parking ramps, Freeze Fest, Polar Plunge, and One Book Two Book.
●Made PSA videos on the City’s Building Change Program, Climate Action Grant, and Snow
Plow Safety.
●Produced a new episode of the Iowa City Matters podcast on Crisis Intervention.
●Recorded the Compeer Sound of Friendship concert.
●Recorded and produced a video for the Children's Literature Festival - Once Upon a
Time, which involves various students from each Iowa City elementary school to present
stories they have written.
●Recorded and Facebook Live streamed the Preucil 45th Annual String Concert which
took place at Hancher Auditorium.
●Recorded a History for Lunch lecture on protest demonstrations at the Duane Arnold
Nuclear Power Plant in Palo, Iowa in 1979.
Upcoming productions:
●Continue creating Iowa City Update programs with topics including a gardening series,
Paint a Rain Barrel event, and end of the yard waste suspension.
●Continue production on our next Iowa City In Focus program, which will feature the Iowa City
Civil Rights Trip, a partnership between Mercy and the UniverCity Program, and other topics.
●Record the Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet.
●Record the Preucil Orchestra Festival
●Begin work on the next episode of the Iowa City Matters podcast.
Programming and Interactive Services
Submitted by Kevin Crawley, Communications Technician
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
I'm still ready to take the FAA Remote Pilot's License test, but am waiting for better weather for
travelling to the testing site in Cedar Rapids. I'm working on some new code for our video
database that will allow the program to recommend videos similar to the program the viewer is
watching. Along the way, I've been fiddling with the database itself to make that easier.
Website:
In January, we had 3,111 users access 5,376 pages in 4,281 sessions. Our most popular pages
were Mediacom's channel lineup page, our home page, Mediacom's channel rates, our live-video
page, program schedule and the watch-online page.
On YouTube, we had 7,279 video views account for 23,794 minutes (396 hours and 34 minutes)
of watch time. We added 18 more subscribers, and our current total is 534. Our most watched
videos by views were the Welcome to Iowa City! video, the latest episode of Iowa City In Focus,
the Fire Department recruitment video, the Iowa City Update episodes on the compost recycling
bins and pickup of old recycling bins, and our short videos on curbside collection and single
stream recycling. The most watched videos by time were the current episode of Iowa City In
Focus, the live streams of the City Council meetings of January 22, the Fire Dept video, a History
for Lunch episode on Iowa in the Civil War, and the City High Masterworks Concert.
Programming:
We cablecast 145 programs produced in-house 775 times
for 551 hours of programming, 39 locally-produced (DITV,
Senior Center, Hoover Library, Task Force on Aging, JC
Board of Supervisors, Coralville, North Liberty, University
Heights and Education Exchange) programs 116 times for
109 hours of programming, and 40 imported programs 109
times for 49 hours of programming. We also showed 93
PSAs 1109 times for 29 hours of programming.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in January 2019
●2019 Building Change Program Promo
●2019 Freeze Fest Promo
●36th Annual Historic Preservation Awards Program
●Economic Development Committee Meeting of 01/18/2019
●Introducing Iowa City Matters - Podcast Promo
●Iowa City City Council Budget Work Sessions
○January 5, 2019 FY2020 Budget Overview
○January 16, 2019 Capital Improvement Projects
●Iowa City City Council Meetings
○January 8, 2019
○January 22, 2019
●Iowa City City Council Work Sessions
○January 8, 2019
○January 22, 2019
●Iowa City Foreign Relations Council Presents
○How Mass Migration Is Changing Our Understanding of Language and Bilingualism
○The Chinese Model of Democracy is a Major Competitor to Liberal Democracy
○The Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond
○Trade and Small Business in Africa
●Iowa City In Focus
○Stories included:
■Skip the Straw Initiative
■Senior Center Women’s Pool League
■Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
■Snow Emergency Ordinance
■Farewell to the Rides at City Park
●Iowa City Matters: Historic Preservation (podcast)
●Iowa City Update
○2019 Organics Collection Suspension
○Citizens Police Academy
○Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
○Returning Old Recycling Bins
●LWV Legislative Forum of January 26, 2019
●Organics Curbside Collection Winter Suspension
Date: January 15, 2019
To: The Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
From: Ty Coleman, Media Production Services Coordinator, City of Iowa City Cable TV Office
Re: City of Iowa City Cable TV Office report for the January 2019 meeting
Media Production Services
Submitted by Jack Brooks, Special Projects Assistant, and Toni Ugolini, Media Production Assistant
Recent production activities:
●Produced weekly Iowa City Update programs. Topics included the City’s snow ordinance,
Senior Center programming, recycling bin collection, and the fireworks ordinance.
●Completed an Iowa City In Focus that featured the “Skip the Straw” campaign, traffic calming
program, snow emergency ordinance, and a farewell to the City Park Rides.
●Made PSA videos on the City’s holiday tree curbside collection, Freeze Fest, and organics
collection suspension.
●Recorded and released our first episode of the City’s new podcast, Iowa City Matters, with
historic preservation as the topic.
●Created a new video for our ‘Bike Shorts’ series. In this video, we paired up with The Broken
Spoke and discussed safety on riding your bicycle at night.
●Made a short video banner for the City’s new intranet webpage to be displayed on the
homepage.
Upcoming productions:
●Continue creating Iowa City Update programs with topics including Freeze Fest, yard
waste suspension, and electric vehicle chargers in City ramps.
●Begin production on our next Iowa City In Focus program, which will feature the City’s
Building Change grant program, a partnership between Mercy and the UniverCity Program,
and more topics.
●Record our next Iowa City Matters podcast on Crisis Intervention Training.
●Creating a new limited series on local transit services which will include information on the
basics of using transit and other related topics.
Programming and Interactive Services
Submitted by Kevin Crawley, Communications Technician
Recent and Upcoming Projects:
I spent a couple of days training on administration of the City's new intranet, which has now been
activated. Programming efforts included music marathons for Christmas and New Year’s. I've
created a new City Council video page that shows both our archive of City Council videos and our
live streams of those meetings, and created an rss/podcast feed for the City's new podcast, Iowa
City Matters.
Website:
In December, we had 3,028 users access 5,132 pages in 4,037 sessions. Our most popular
pages were Mediacom's channel lineup page, Mediacom's channel rates, our home page, our
live-video page, program schedule and our watch-online page.
On YouTube, we had 7,917 video views account for 26,510 minutes (441 hours and 50 minutes)
of watch time. We added 21 more subscribers, and our current total is 514. Our most watched
videos by views were the Welcome to Iowa City! video, the Fire Department recruitment video,
the Iowa City Update episode on new recycling bins, our short videos on curbside collection and
single stream recycling, the Black Entrepreneurs Roundtable and our Board of Supervisors
candidate forum. The most watched videos by time were the Fire Dept video, the candidate
forum, an Iowa City Foreign Relations Council meeting of Nov 16, the Deer Management video,
and the live stream of the City Council meetings of Dec 4.
Programming:
We cablecast 152 programs produced in-house 783 times for 547 hours of programming, 38
locally-produced (DITV, Senior Center, Hoover Library, Task Force on Aging, JC Board of
Supervisors, Coralville, North Liberty, University Heights and Education Exchange) programs 109
times for 116 hours of programming, and 34 imported programs 96 times for 46 hours of
programming. We also showed 118 PSAs 1077 times for 27 hours of programming.
Programs Completed by the Cable TV Office in December 2018
●2018 Annual Luncheon of the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau
●Candidate Forum - 2018 Board of Supervisors Special Election
●2018 Holiday Music Marathon Promo & Bumper
●City High School Masterworks Concert 2018
●Holiday Tree Curbside Collection PSA
●Holiday Tuba Concert 2018
●Iowa City City Council Meetings
○December 4, 2018
○December 18, 2018
●Iowa City City Council Work Sessions
○December 4, 2018
○December 18, 2018
●Iowa City Update
○Fireworks Ordinance Reminder
○Recycling & Organic Carts
○Recycling During the Holidays
○Senior Center Programming
○Winter Explorers Camp
●Iowa City Fire Department recruitment video
●Meet the Candidates 2018 - Johnson County Board of Supervisors Special Election
○Phil Hemingway
○Royceann Porter
●New Year's Summer Music Marathon Promo & Bumper 2019
●Preucil School of Music - 21st Piano Festival featuring Multiple Piano Ensembles
●Senior Center's Women's Pool League
●Skip the Straw
●Snow Emergency Ordinance PSA
●The Arc of Southeast Iowa 61st Annual Awards Banquet Program