PRINTER'S NO. 2470
No. 282 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY SANTONI, CALTAGIRONE, PIPPY, CAPPABIANCA, GEORGE,
EVANS, MAITLAND, FLICK, MASLAND, GEIST, BELARDI, FICHTER,
TIGUE, STABACK, GRUCELA, RUBLEY, DERMODY, RAMOS, FRANKEL,
HERMAN, CORRIGAN, COY, JAMES, STEELMAN, WOJNAROSKI, B. SMITH,
LEVDANSKY, McNAUGHTON, ARGALL, SEYFERT, LAUGHLIN, WALKO,
L. I. COHEN, BEBKO-JONES, MARSICO, YUDICHAK, READSHAW, CURRY,
DeWEESE, ROBERTS, DALLY, LEDERER, DEMPSEY, LESCOVITZ, HARHAI,
PETRONE, SOLOBAY, SATHER, GIGLIOTTI, MANDERINO, PISTELLA,
TRAVAGLIO, HERSHEY, McCALL, ORIE, S. MILLER, DeLUCA, WATERS,
PESCI, BELFANTI, JOSEPHS, LUCYK, ROONEY, YOUNGBLOOD, SEMMEL,
BROWNE AND WILLIAMS, OCTOBER 19, 1999
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
OCTOBER 19, 1999
A RESOLUTION
1 Proclaiming the week of December 12 through 18, 1999, as "Public
2 Access, Educational Access and Governmental Access Television
3 Week" in Pennsylvania and recognizing the outstanding public
4 and community service provided in this Commonwealth by 26
5 access television centers and their volunteers, members and
6 paid staff.
7 WHEREAS, Our forefathers incorporated the freedom of speech
8 and the freedom of the press in the First Amendment to the
9 Constitution of the United States because they understood that a
10 free and democratic republic depended upon the ability of its
11 citizens to freely express their thoughts, opinions, ideas and
12 perspectives; and
13 WHEREAS, Public access, educational access and governmental
14 access cable television centers in this Commonwealth provide a
15 modern and easy means for citizens, schools, colleges,
1 universities, intermediate units, nonprofit groups and Federal,
2 State, county and local governments and other agencies to use
3 the medium of television in a noncommercial manner to directly
4 communicate with residents in the communities they serve; and
5 WHEREAS, The public access, educational access and
6 governmental access cable television centers have roots in
7 Pennsylvania, with stations in Reading and York and other sites
8 in this Commonwealth considered to be pioneers in founding and
9 establishing community media that are open to all; and
10 WHEREAS, The Alliance for Community Media, a national public
11 policy group representing community media organizations,
12 identified the following public access, educational access and
13 governmental access television stations operating in
14 Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Lower Merion Township Governmental
15 Access, Ardmore; Tredyffrin Township Public Access Group,
16 Berwyn; Bethel Park, Public Access TV, Bethel Park; Bloomsburg
17 Telecom Consortium, Bloomsburg; Channel 29, Department of Mass
18 Communications, University of California of Pennsylvania,
19 California; Suburban Community TV, Doylestown; ECTV, Elizabeth;
20 City of Erie, Erie; Erie Community Access TV, Erie; Swets
21 Subscription Service, Exton; Annenberg School for
22 Communications, Haverford; Suburban Cable TV, Jamison; Upper
23 Merion Township, King of Prussia; Harron Cable TV, Malvern;
24 Tredyffrin Public Access Group, Malvern; Peters Township
25 Community TV, McMurray; Municipality of Monroeville,
26 Monroeville; Media/Performing Arts Department, Newtown; Comcast
27 Video Productions, Philadelphia; DUTV Cable 54, Philadelphia;
28 WYBE-TV, Philadelphia; Pittsburgh Bureau of Cable
29 Communications, Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Cable Bureau, Pittsburgh;
30 Pittsburgh Community TV, Pittsburgh; Radnor TV, Radnor; Berks
19990H0282R2470 - 2 -
1 Community TV, Reading; C-Net, University Park; Pennsylvania
2 College of Technology, Williamsport; and York Community Access
3 Television, York; and
4 WHEREAS, These stations provide volunteers in each community
5 with access to and training for the electronic communications
6 equipment, facilities and delivery systems used in taping
7 informational and entertaining programs, meetings, election
8 coverage and other services benefiting each community; and
9 WHEREAS, These stations keep communities informed of
10 important national, State, county and local issues and give
11 residents the opportunity to communicate through television,
12 regardless of race, creed, gender, color, religion and national
13 origin; therefore be it
14 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives proclaim the week
15 of December 12 through 18, 1999, as "Public Access, Educational
16 Access and Governmental Access Television Week" in Pennsylvania
17 in recognition of the many hours of public and community service
18 logged by the volunteers, members and paid staff of the 26
19 access television stations in this Commonwealth; and be it
20 further
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Governor
22 and the Senate to proclaim the week of December 12 through 18,
23 1999, as "Public Access, Educational Access and Governmental
24 Access Television Week" in Pennsylvania and that a copy of this
25 resolution be provided to each access center in this
26 Commonwealth.
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