PRINTER'S NO. 1247
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
205
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY ARGALL, MARTIN, CULVER, BOSCOLA, HUTCHINSON AND
COSTA, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, NOVEMBER 21, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the birth of cable
television in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The year 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the
birth of the cable television industry nationwide and in
Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In the 1940s, only a few television stations
existed, mostly in larger cities, making it difficult for people
outside urban areas to access broadcast signals; and
WHEREAS, In 1948, John Walson, an appliance store owner in
the small town of Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, had
difficulty selling television sets to local residents because
reception in the area was so poor; and
WHEREAS, To solve his reception problem, Walson put an
antenna on top of a nearby mountain; and
WHEREAS, Television signals were received and transported
over twin-lead antenna wires directly to his store; and
WHEREAS, Once local residents saw these early results,
television sales soared; and
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WHEREAS, Walson worked to improve the picture quality by
using coaxial cable and self-manufactured boosters to bring CATV
to the homes of customers who bought television sets; and
WHEREAS, Milton Jerrold Shapp, who later was elected Governor
of Pennsylvania during the 1970s, developed a master antenna
television system to eliminate the forest of antennas for city
department stores and apartment buildings; and
WHEREAS, Shapp's system used coaxial cable and signal
boosters, capable of carrying multiple signals at once; and
WHEREAS, At about the same time in the nearby town of
Lansford, another appliance salesman named Robert Tarlton
developed the first commercial cable television system in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, Rural parts of Pennsylvania, which had only three
channels, one for each network, soon had more than double the
original number of channels as operators began to import
programs from independent stations in New York and Philadelphia;
and
WHEREAS, The wider variety of channels and clearer reception
the service offered soon attracted viewers from urban areas, and
by 1962, nearly 800 cable systems were operational, serving
850,000 subscribers; and
WHEREAS, Since 1996, Pennsylvania's cable industry has led
the development of broadband Internet service throughout this
Commonwealth, currently providing service to approximately 3
million customers; and
WHEREAS, Nationally, that investment of private capital by
cable companies exceeds $245 billion; and
WHEREAS, Throughout Pennsylvania, the cable industry
significantly contributes to charities, educational institutions
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and nonprofit organizations; and
WHEREAS, Taxes and franchise fees paid directly to
municipalities in this Commonwealth annually exceed well over
$200 million; and
WHEREAS, Today, broadband cable companies employ more than
13,000 Pennsylvanians, while more than 118,000 Pennsylvania
workers are employed directly and indirectly by the cable
industry; and
WHEREAS, Five of the nation's top 20 cable companies are
headquartered in Pennsylvania: Armstrong, Blue Ridge
Communications, Comcast, Service Electric Cable TV &
Communications and Service Electric Cablevision; and
WHEREAS, Additionally, Pennsylvania's cable operators offer
free cable service to virtually all primary and secondary
schools in this Commonwealth while continuing to provide 100%
funding and support for the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN),
one of the country's premiere state public affairs platforms;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate the 75th anniversary of
the birth of cable television in Pennsylvania.
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